Change
by 263Adder
Summary: In the aftermath of X-Men: First Class, Moira MacTaggert struggles to regain her memories but perhaps with the help of Nick Fury she may come closer to discovering the truth. Note: Abandoned at present. If anyone is interested in taking it over, DM me.
1. Proud Mary

I am in the process of rewriting the chapters of this story before updating it to finish it off. Rewritten chapters will now have a title instead of just being 'Chapter 1' so you can clearly see which chapters are new and which are old.

 **XXXXX**

After Moira had woken up alone in her apartment. After she had met with her bosses. After she was sent away for more tests then she would have thought feasible. Then Levene showed her the tapes.

At first Moira had found the conclusions that her partner and supervisors had drawn impossible to believe. That a... _man_ could make her forget months of her life. The few facts they did know - that she had joined some kind of secret taskforce, that she had worked alongside people with incredible and unbelievable gifts. It sounded...well, it sounded ridiculous.

Levene had to describe the meeting - where Charles Xavier had read minds and Raven Darkhölme had transformed into Agent Stryker. Then he showed her security footage of the hallway outside the meeting room. Where Levene froze at the water fountain as Moira looked around, apparently talking to herself.

"You said that he contacted you." Levene explained. "That somehow you communicated telepathically."

The second was in the parking lot and showed Moira driving to fetch the _mutants_ and the mystery agent.

"I lost you after that. You told me you had to do something important and to try and keep McCone off your back." He continued, a touch of reprimand that he didn't really mean. Levene was used to Moira running off on her own and leaving him to run crowd control. It worked well that way and Levene knew it. He was good with people, good at smoothing down riled up supervisors and reassuring concerned citizens. Moira was good at jumping into a dangerous situation feet first and wangling her way out of it at the last opportunity.

"And you didn't see me until last week?"

"No, I did see you one other time. We went on a mission to Russia."

"I went to Russia?" Moira blinked, stomach churning as the entire situation became even more unsettling. To forget a few conversations was one thing, but to forget weeks of her life and covert operations abroad was an entirely different beast.

Levene explained that they had picked up a new recruit by this point, someone called Erik Lehnsherr who could apparently control metallic substances. "I didn't really see his powers in action though. Xavier managed to make our team invisible somehow, he said it was an illusion he made them believe."

"And I didn't tell you what had happened?"

"You gave me a rundown, but nothing more than I've already been able to tell you. That you got involved in recruiting mutants and hunting down a guy who was trying to kill humans."

Moira hummed, pressing her cold fingers to her lips. "McCone filled me in as much as he could about Cuba." And about how she had stood defending the mutants only to be nearly killed by one for her troubles. She still had the mark around her neck from where Lehnsherr tried to strangle her when they'd had that conversation.

The agency continued to ask her questions about what happened on that beach, regardless of the well known fact that she couldn't remember any of it. It seemed inconceivable to anyone, Moira included, that this could actually happen.

"Well you have all the information that I do on that. I didn't see you again until you called me over to your apartment."

Nodding, Moira kept pressing Levene for more details although he could never find anything new to tell her. She said it was so she could understand, to try and piece together the case so they could work out if the threat still existed. What she was really waiting for was something, anything, that would trigger a memory and help her to remember. Something more than flashes of light and a kiss.

The kiss disturbed her more than she cared to admit. And not because her bosses had immediately jumped on one of her few remaining impressions of those missing months as a way to further undermine her. Her memories from the Hellfire Club were still there. She knew that mutants existed and she knew that Xavier was apparently the foremost expert on them. That was why, according to her application for travel, she had flown to Oxford to meet with him.

The extent of his powers, demonstrated to her through the tapes and Levene's descriptions, painted a portrait of a very powerful being. One who had no problem altering people's perceptions, communicating telepathically, wiping months of memories away - and certainly had no reservations about using that ability. She remembered the emotion behind the kiss and knew how deeply she had cared for him. How badly had her judgement been impaired that she had fallen for someone who apparently had no qualms about invading her mind, the one part of her that should be hers alone.

Had her feelings even been genuine? Did she have free will during that time?

When she was alone she questioned everything. Her motives, the people she had gone with, her instincts, her thoughts.

At work she needed to keep her head high and walk the corridors confidently otherwise she risked having her job pulled out from beneath her. Her superiors eventually accepted that she remembered very little of what had happened. The tests had shown there was no brain damage and coupled with their knowledge of Xavier's _abilities_ , the conclusion was drawn that she would never remember. With that acceptance, however, Moira found that all of her hard work establishing a position for herself at the CIA appeared to have been undone. Even though she hadn't exactly gotten people to like her before there had been a level of begrudging respect. She'd proven herself multiple times to be capable of more than secretarial work. But now wherever she went there were whispers. About the hormonal woman who had fallen in love with a _mutant_.

She was shunned by most of her colleagues, but then that wasn't really new. Now, instead of listening to the run of the mill sexist jabs, she got a little variety by having her every decision questioned because her mind didn't work properly. Because she was damaged. Levene stood by her like he had since they'd first been partnered up, and he always jumped up to defend her. Levene who was now in the unique position of being one of the few people to meet Charles Xavier who both remembered it and was still alive.

With time she could restore her credibility among the ranks, as long as she didn't show any more weakness. And Levene's long winded speeches about her patriotism and bravery, which arose whenever Moira got a snide comment by another agent, couldn't hurt. Except a month later they would still just laugh and say she was protecting freaks.

Time passed. Her paranoia settled but the CIA's didn't.

"I've decided to pull you and Levene off the case." McCone said, slapping the file she had just delivered back onto the desk after a polite glance. They'd been investigating a man with potential communist affiliations for the past three weeks.

"But sir," Moira started," we've nearly closed it."

"I think you would be better suited to a different assignment."

" _Sir_."

"Especially after what you went through. To be frank MacTaggert, we've been discussing it and we think it would be in your best interest to take a leave of absence."

She tried to speak again but he cut her off. "Just take a few months."

He tried to cut her off yet again when she opened her mouth but she spoke over him. "I'm perfectly capable of doing my job."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Moira." He said in the same tone he reserved for the secretaries.

"I never said I was ashamed."

"Of course not. But…" He paused and took a minute, leaning back in his chair and forming a temple with his fingers. "Given what you went through we thought it would be appropriate for you to have some time off. To help you deal with your feelings."

"I have no feelings about what happened, sir. I don't remember it."

"You never know. Some R&R might help you with your memory loss." McCone said, trying to pretend that he was doing this for her benefit.

She took a deep breath. "Sir, don't drop us off this case."

"I'm sorry Moira, but I really think it's for the best."

She was costing Levene his career with all this bullshit. Every time they got anything close to a half decent case it would be snatched away from them before they could close it. And they always used the excuse that it was because she wasn't in her right mind.

Levene never complained, he would grouch about McCone and the rest of the CIA for how they treated her. He wouldn't complain about her or request a new partner. He liked working with Moira and Moira liked working with him. She liked being his friend and having dinner with him and his wife on the weekends. She liked having someone around that she could actually trust. Someone who didn't think she was weak. But she couldn't keep working like this. And she couldn't allow Levene to be punished for his loyalty to her.

"I didn't want to have to do this." Moira said, shaking her head. "I'd hoped if I stuck it out things would improve, but I see now they never will. I am an _excellent_ agent. And one day when you realise what an _ass_ you are, you're really going to regret this."

McCone's genial expression abruptly fell away with her words and the scowl she was more comfortable with reappeared. "Now look here MacTaggert..."

"You have left me no other choice. You can leave Levene on the case. I quit."

Pulling her jacket back she removed her gun from its holster and pulled her badge from her belt. She set them on his desk.

" _Moira_ ," he said with a smile as she stood. "You don't have to quit. I told you we'll give you leave. _Paid leave_. And you can come back as soon as you feel ready. We'd have to ease you back in of course, maybe put you on desk duty for a little while…"

She shook her head. When she had been made an agent she had hoped that things would finally be easier, that she wouldn't have to work twice as hard as everyone else to get half as much respect. And yet no matter how much she sacrificed, she knew now that she never would.

Not confident that she would be able to refrain from calling McCone worse than an ass if she continued to speak, Moira turned swiftly on her heel and walked out. McCone half-heartedly called after her, but she had no doubt her resignation would be met by more celebrations than regrets.

Making her way into the break room she collected her bag and purse, stopped by HR and then made her way straight to the parking garage. There was nothing important at her desk and she wouldn't give the other guys the satisfaction of seeing her pack up her stuff. She was going to be better than they ever would.

She just didn't know how yet.

She'd talk to Levene later, he'd gone home already but she wanted to call him before McCone did. He deserved to hear about her decision instead of just getting a blunt notice from the agency saying he'd have a new partner by next Monday.

As she shoved her key in the lock of her car she found herself pausing for a moment, her anger ebbing away. Taking a deep breath, Moira tried not to panic. She was more than qualified for plenty of jobs, and maybe this time she could find one without so much bullshit.

Yanking open the door she threw her bag onto the backseat. A voice stopped her before she could get in.

" _Moira_ MacTaggert."

Her name wasn't a question, but rather a statement.

Turning she spied a tall man, darkened by the shadow of the stone pillar he leaned against. Her eyes quickly spied four men evenly spread out around him, hands behind their backs in the picture of obedience.

"Yes?"

Stepping forward the man shot her a tight lipped smile. "My name is Nick Fury. Tell me. What do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D?"


	2. Hello Mary Lou

Sitting upright, hands clasped tightly together to stop the temptation to tap her nails on the arm of the chair, Moira waited to be called in. The walk back into the building she had so unceremoniously left only three days before was nerve racking enough. Waiting for an interview, which should have started several minutes ago, with one of the highest ranking CIA officials was enough to make her heart attempt to escape the confines of her rib cage.

The man in the parking lot - Nick Fury, as she now knew - wanted to recruit her for an organisation she had never heard of, worked in a part of the building she had never known existed, and was permanently tailed by a small team of staff who seemed capable of glaring the fur off a monkey.

Today was no exception as he approached his office with several people in tow, two of whom looked ready to march into battle rather than walk the halls at Langley.

"MacTaggert." He said calmly, his staff dissipating as he spoke her name. "With me."

Following him into the unexpectedly sparse office, Moira dropped into the seat he waved her towards while he shrugged off his coat and moved to stand by the window. He seemed interested in something happening downstairs and looked there thoughtfully for a moment before giving her his divided attention.

"Why did you resign from the agency?" Fury asked bluntly, although Moira had a sense that he already knew everything that had happened.

"I think resign is a very nice way to put it." Moira experimented, and when Fury's lip twitched infinitesimally she was fairly confident that he at least knew that she had called McCone an ass. "I didn't feel that I could make any more progress within the organisation, sir."

"You don't work here anymore MacTaggert. You don't have to call me sir." He said, leaning back against the windowsill with ease. "And I agree with you. The CIA is meant to deal with all external threats to the US. But if anything, these recent events seem to have proven that the CIA is perhaps not the organisation best equipped to deal with these...shall we call them _unexplainable_ events."

"I don't think I'm the right person to comment on that."

"On the contrary. At this moment I think you are one of the few people who can. Given your recent history. And your interactions with Mr. Xavier. I'm quite interested to hear your judgement on the situation - and how the CIA handled it."

"You know what happened to me?"

"I dare say at this point I know more than you do."

"That's not exactly an accomplishment." Moira scoffed. "I don't understand why I'm here. I know you said you work with a group called S.H.I.E.L.D but no one I know seems to have even heard of it.."

"You're not friends with anyone who has that level of clearance." Fury said, finally moving to sit at his desk after he gave up looking for...whatever he had been looking for. "I work for S.H.I.E.L.D and act as a liaison with this agency. And others. I'm not usually based here but I have eyes in this building. And I've done this long enough to recognise you as a potential asset."

Moira slowly shook her head and glanced around the room. There was none of the usual CIA insignia that was in her supervisor's offices. Then again there was no other symbol, nothing to give her any indication of what S.H.I.E.L.D was and certainly not what it did.

"S.H.I.E.L.D was established after the war and is a subsidiary of the UN. The name stands for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division."

"That's quite the mouthful."

"Hence the acronym." Fury deadpanned. Moira bit back a smile. "S.H.I.E.L.D came about in the wake of what was called the Super Soldiers Initiative which was run during the war. An experimental programme to create an army of advanced humans who could fight the war for us. You ever heard of Captain America?"

"The comic book character?" She asked, frowning as she struggled to recall the covers of the comics her Dad had collected and the one story he had told her about the stage show he had seen while stationed in Europe. There was a vague memory of a radio show about him too. "He's fictional."

"Aren't we all." He said coolly. "I know a lot of people who doubt your story MacTaggert. After your experiences, after what you've seen, are you still so quick to dismiss something as fantastical just because you haven't seen it with your own eyes?"

Fury paused, watching as his words sunk in before continuing. "S.H.I.E.L.D is the world's answer to dealing with the unexplainable. The things that organisations such as the CIA has proven themselves incapable of dealing with."

"Like mutants?"

"Exactly."

"If you think the CIA is so incapable why do you want me? I was part of the Mutants Division. Apparently. And from what I've been told we nearly started World War III."

"Your work impressed us. Your ability to keep a level head, even when seeing something no one would think possible. Being able to differentiate between those who wanted to use their abilities for good instead of presuming that anything different is something to be feared. How you were able to gain the trust of individuals who had lived their entire lives working to keep their abilities secret..."

Moira cut him off. "I don't even remember doing any of that. I don't even know if _I_ did that."

Fury leaned back in his chair and for the first time since they'd started talking Moira felt like his full concentration was on her. The power of his stare almost made her want to squirm in her seat but she met his gaze head on. "You're referring to Xavier's powers. Mind control?"

"Yes."

She felt like elaborating. Trying to explain how it feels to wonder if you have control of your mind, your body. To wonder what actions were your own and what was someone else's. Without the memory of who Xavier was, Moira had no idea what he was like. Of what kind of person he was. It seemed like he had worked against Lehnsherr in Cuba, that he had tried to stop whatever plan had been underway. But was that because he was a good person or because he was working to keep the mutant's existence a secret? Or because he had some other plan, another ulterior motive? Levene seemed certain that he wanted to help them, that he was kind. But Levene had never had his mind irrevocably tampered with.

In the end she bit down on the words. She had barely been able to explain it to Levene.

"You sought out Xavier after going to the Hellfire club, correct?"

"Yes."

"You witnessed mutants demonstrating their powers. Tell me. What was your first reaction when you saw them? To threaten them, call for back up, kill them? Or to go to the biggest expert you could find and attempt to learn more about them?"

" _Sir_..."

"You're exactly what S.H.I.E.L.D needs. We want you to join us."

"As an agent?"

Fury nodded in the affirmative.

Moira hesitated. She needed a job but still, "I think I've had enough of working for nefarious organisations to last a lifetime."

"S.H.I.E.L.D is very different from the CIA MacTaggert. Trust me on that."

"Why should I?"

His attention divided away from her again as he glanced at his watch. Standing, he headed back over to his coat and pulled it on while Moira remained seated, unsure how to proceed.

"There's some people waiting for us that I would like you to meet."

Frowning, Moira stubbornly stayed in her chair and repeated her question.

"Because I can help you." Fury replied, nonplussed.

" _Help me_? Help me how?" She asked, a wave of annoyance threatening to break through her professional mask.

"Help you to get your memories back."

Fury opened the door for her.

"You can do that?" She eventually said, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she processed the idea that she could finally get some answers. That she could finally trust her own mind again.

"Let's just say we have access to a lot of _unusual_ resources that the CIA doesn't." Fury replied, motioning for her to go through the door. "So MacTaggert. Do we have a deal?"

 **XXXXX**

I'll post chapter three by the end of this week. Stay tuned! 


	3. Up Around The Bend

Glancing back at Fury as he closed the door behind her, Moira was ushered into a windowless dark panelled conference room where there were several people talking amongst themselves. A woman, British if her accent was genuine, was the first to greet her as she moved into the room.

Fury moved to sit at the head of the table and wasted no time in making introductions while everyone moved to organise themselves, depositing and sorting through the folders and files before them, a few of them finishing hushed conversations.

"MacTaggert. This is Agent Carter, Mr Stark, Colonel Phillips, Dr Samberly and Dr Wilkes." Fury said, gesturing towards them in turn. "Where's Stoner?" He asked Carter.

She almost felt as though she were on trial as all heads turned to face her when she took a seat. "Mr _Stark_? Of Stark Industries?" Moira asked, the name well known to her.

"Urgent business." Carter told Fury.

He grinned roguishly and shook her hand before taking the seat opposite her. "The one and only."

What kind of organisation was this, Moira quickly found herself wondering as she took in the faces of those surrounding her. A WWII officer, one of the world's most famous entrepreneurs, two scientists, a female agent and... _whatever_ Fury was.

"Agent Carter, Colonel Phillips and Mr Stark founded S.H.I.E.L.D in the late 40s," Fury started to explain, gesturing to the unlikely trio. "S.H.I.E.L.D absorbed their previous organisation."

"The Strategic Scientific Reserve." Carter clarified. "We, along with Drs Samberly and Wilkes, worked in the organisation both during and after the war. The organisation was highly classified," she added, "as is S.H.I.E.L.D, so I expect you understand that anything we discuss with you in this office is highly classified."

"Of course." Moira murmured.

Carter flipped open her CIA personnel file. "Agent Fury has recommended you as a field operative, which I see you more than qualify for. I don't know how much he has told you about S.H.I.E.L.D, but you ought to know that working for this organisation will involve a great deal of personal sacrifice. It's not an easy job and the demands will be high."

"Miss MacTaggert." The clearly nervous scientist asked. "We've reviewed files from the Mutants Division..."

"You have those files?" Moira sharply interrupted, watching as his hand unconsciously crept to rest on the papers in front of him.

The mysterious man who had apparently headed the Mutants Division, the man whose facility they had stayed in, was unknown to Moira though she suspected McCone knew him. Still, the CIA had either been unable or unwilling to request the files which could explain what the division had done during her missing months. Files which Moira was sure would give more details about her life with Xavier and his team of mutants. Files that could give her some answers.

"They'll be shared with you should you agree to work with us. You'll need clearance first however." Fury explained.

Thankfully working with the CIA had prepared her well for this level of bureaucratic bullshit, and her face remained impassive despite mentally raving at the idea that she needed clearance to read about her own life.

Samberly continued.

"Yes, well. The files detail your involvement in the division and the work you contributed to its successes. And needless to say we are... _intrigued_ ," his eyes jumped around as if looking for confirmation that that was the correct term to use, "by Mr Xavier's abilities. And those of the other mutants detailed in these files. There are reports of a shape shifter - which is substantiated by footage - someone capable of manipulating and generating electromagnetic fields, teleportation. While we have seen..." again his eyes jumped, this time to Dr Wilkes who nodded in encouragement, "people with, _frankly_ unbelievable abilities, they were often unsustainable. Barring the odd case. To see people who have had powers since birth and have relative control over them is something we haven't seen in large numbers before."

"And from what we've learned they're not only a growing community but now they're coming together and forming their own sides." The Colonel concluded. "Xavier and," he consulted the papers before him, "Erik Lehnsherr, appear to have opposing views on how mutants should engage with humans. According to these files, Lehnsherr seems to believe in mutant superiority and is opposed to any form of coexistence."

"At one time he refers to mutants as _homo superior_ , according to the division heads personal notes." Wilkes interjected.

"Which causes us some concern, although we've seen no activity from him since the beach in Cuba. Xavier on the other hand seems to believe coexistence is possible." Colonel Phillips went on. "And that's certainly an outcome we would like to see as well."

"So, you want to reach out to them. To Xavier and his... _friends_." Moira asked slowly.

She knew that her role in the Mutants Division was the main reason she was being recruited, however it had failed to occur to her that S.H.I.E.L.D could want her to resume her previous work. To establish communication with the mutants.

If they would let her in without wiping her mind again.

"And of course we want to monitor Lehnsherr, to see if he will develop into a greater threat."

Moira resisted the urge to touch her neck at Phillips remark, and the faded mark from where Lehnsherr had tried to kill her with her own dog tags. "So you help me to get my memories back and in return I tell you everything I know about Xavier and Lehnsherr?"

"We want more than intelligence." Carter answered. "You have a unique experience. Not only are you the only, _potential_ , member of our organisation to meet mutants, you were also present to see them come together. Work alongside Xavier and Lehnsherr as they recruited for the Mutants Division. We don't know how much information your memories will even reveal. But we do know that you have a prior relationship with many of the people we will be reaching out to. That will go a long way in earning their trust and establishing a relationship between Xavier's side and S.H.I.E.L.D."

Thinking carefully for a moment, Moira looked at the three founders who sat beside each other.

"What do you want from the mutants? Once you make contact." She asked, unable to explain her sudden wave of... _protectiveness_? "I don't even know what S.H.I.E.L.D does - except what you told me before, that you _deal_ with the unexplainable. What does deal mean, that you want to study them? Use them as agents to fight your battles? Like the Mutant Division did?"

The way Phillips eyebrow quirked suggested he wanted just that, though apparently he was outvoted on the matter.

"The S.S.R only ever had a handful of operatives in its ranks who possessed inhuman abilities." Carter said evenly. "S.H.I.E.L.D is the same. Our main purpose - our _founding_ principle - is to protect. Whether that is to protect one man from another or to protect the entire planet against a hostile force. S.H.I.E.L.D maintains global security but that doesn't mean that we just protect humans. We also protect enhanced individuals. We do not aim to experiment on them or harm them if they pose no threat to us. From what we have learned about Xavier, he poses little threat to us."

"Barring wiping the occasional person's memory." Moira rebutted.

"Without your knowledge we have no reason to know why he did this. But we do know he faces potential hostility from Lehnsherr and from hostile members of _our_ species, people who don't understand what mutants are and who may fear them. It certainly gives them a reason to try and stay hidden. S.H.I.E.L.D can provide support if required and if not, we will leave them in peace."

"So long as they don't threaten anyone else's safety." Phillips added darkly.

Moira nodded, glancing at the six faces that were watching her intently. They must be driven to establish a connection with the mutants in order to assemble such a committee to talk to one potential recruit. But was that their only motive?

"How do you plan to get my memories back?"

Stark leaned forward slightly. "We will need to run some examinations, of course. Scans, blood tests," he waved is hand, "to determine whether there was any damage to the brain tissue which has caused your memories to be permanently lost as well as some psychological assessments to see if there is a natural key to restoring your memories. They could have been blocked or his powers could have removed them completely."

"So there is a chance it's permanent?" Moira asked, her stomach dropping with dread. That was what she had feared. That her mind was damaged, perhaps beyond repair.

"Nothing is gone forever. If his powers are purely mental, I doubt he could permanently destroy the synapses. It's more likely that he's blocked them somehow." Stark replied. "And even if the tests do reveal the worst, I think you will find we possess some unique technology that could be of use."

Wilkes spoke up. "We have our labs set up if you would be willing to sit some tests today? I understand it's getting late and you will want to get home..."

"Tonight will be fine." Moira said, straightening in her chair. "What do you need."

The three scientists opened their mouths and looked ready to talk over one another when Phillips hastily interrupted. "Dr Wilkes, why don't you go with Stark and Samberly down to the lab and get everything you need set up. Carter will show MacTaggert the way in just a moment."

"Of course." Wilkes said, the three of them hastily collecting their files before half marching out of the door. At least someone was looking forward to these tests. Wilkes cast a look at Carter before shutting the door, although she didn't appear to notice.

Phillips flipped open one of his files and slid some papers across the desk to Moira.

"What are these, release forms?"

"No. Though I'm sure the eggheads will have more than plenty of those for you to sign when you go downstairs." He said, his voice rumbling good naturedly.

Pulling the files toward her, Moira started flipping through the contracts - both similar and more - unbelievably - complicated than the ones the CIA had made her sign when she became an agent.

"The labs contain some highly classified materials, which you need clearance to see."

"And to get clearance I need to be an agent." Moira finished.

There was a knock at the door and they all fell silent as a tall woman walked in to deliver a message to Phillips.

"We need to get to the next meeting." He said to Fury, standing up. "Carter, finish up with MacTaggert?"

"Of course."

"Ma'am." Phillips said as he took his leave, Fury barely nodding as he passed her by.

Carter moved into the seat next to her that had been occupied by Mr Stark so they were opposite from one another.

"Read through the files carefully. I suspect you will be familiar with some of them from your time in the CIA, and I imagine when you joined the Mutants Division you would have signed most of these."

"I'm not going to have them suing me if I tell you anything about the division, am I?" Moira grouched as she read through the first sheet.

"No they won't."

With a sigh, Moira leant back in her chair. "Does that organisation work for S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"No. We had no part in the Mutants Division. We do have a strong global network however and, barring the Soviets, most intelligence agencies work in cooperation with us in these circumstances."

Carter studied Moira's face before giving her a small smile. "You know, when I was first recruited into the intelligence agencies I was very reluctant to join. But I was eventually persuaded that it was the best place for me to be."

"Why is that?" She asked cautiously.

"It was somewhere I could be myself." Carter replied. "Like me you possess a specific skill set. However, even having the intelligence, the strength and the determination - it is difficult for us to progress in the world, let alone in organisations like the CIA. The S.S.R was much the same. I was a highly distinguished intelligence operative during the war, only to spend the next few years taking lunch orders for my co-workers. I still fought, and when I got the opportunity to run S.H.I.E.L.D, to reshape the S.S.R. I couldn't pass it up. I wanted to create an organisation that had no prejudices, that worked to serve the greater good."

Moira repressed a snort. "Intelligence agencies protect citizens, but I would hardly say they do it for the greater good."

Carter's smile widened. "I know. I was very cynical too, until I met a man who was so _unbelievably_ idealistic about the world. He was a good man. Someone who would work beside me. I worked to create an organisation he could believe in. And where agents like you could thrive.

"If you join S.H.I.E.L.D we will work to get your memories back. You can leave afterwards, we wouldn't stop you. But if you work for it I think you could carve out a real place for yourself here. It won't be easy, but you're used to that." Carter finished, pushing a pen across the desk. "So. Do you just want your past, or do you want to make yourself a new future?"

Pulling the papers forward, Moira began to reread them again. "And I can leave whenever I want?"

"Yes."

Moira kept her face impassive as she started to sign the contract. She didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D not to lie to her, but then again she didn't think she was capable of trusting anyone anymore. What she was sure of was that whatever her memories held, they would decide her next move. And, for the time being, she was in need of a job after all.

 **XXXXX**

This is all new material so it took me a while to write. Colonel Phillips was in 'Captain America: The First Avenger'. Dr Wilkes and Samberly were both SSR scientists in 'Agent Carter', and Wilkes went on to work at Stark Industries. If you're an original reader of the story or new to the game let me know what you think of story so far. I'm aiming to publish at least a chapter a week. 


	4. Cotton Fields

Once Stark - _Howard_ , as he kept insisting - Dr. Wilkes and Dr. Samberly had taken more scans than she could count, more blood than she would have thought possible to live without, and asked more questions than she could recollect, she was shepherded into one of the standard bunks for on-site personnel members after being told it was too late, or more accurately too early, to travel home. It was also wise not to drive back into the city given the last test had involved Samberly shining lights into her eyes for several minutes. The light still flashed behind her eyelids when she blinked.

Thankful to have a room to herself, Moira dropped onto the bottom bunk and leaned her head back against the smooth stone wall. There was a short thrill when the situation stirred a feeling of familiarity but it quickly disappeared, offering no flashes of forgotten memories.

Moira took a deep breath as she contemplated tomorrow - _today_. She was going to be an agent again. And going through another induction and more training. Hopefully, unlike last time, the new S.H.I.E.L.D recruits wouldn't spend the whole course at the academy tormenting her for having her reproductive organs on the inside. Of course in response to their jibes that the closest she would ever get to agent was to sleep with one of them she went and got one of the highest scores on record. Much to her _team's_ displeasure.

She stood up to take off her suit before settling under the covers. Dr. Wilkes had offered to find her some clothes for tomorrow but in case he forgot it wouldn't do for it to get wrinkled. Agent Carter had told her on the journey down to the labs that if she was willing she would need to go through an induction tomorrow, originally scheduled for some entry level scientists, which she would need to complete before she could be assigned to a superior officer. As her Mother always said, first impressions are the most lasting.

"It's nothing too complicated." Carter had explained. "Just some routine history on the organisation, an explanation of the variation divisions, what to expect during your training."

"How long will my training be?"

"Given your experience with the CIA there should be some areas you are already adept at - but you _should_ be prepared for it to last for while. And we'll make sure it's worked around whatever the doctors come up with. I'm sure if we give them their way you'll be down here all the time. They do love their tests." She sighed, as though she was well familiar with their antics. "I've worked with Howard since the war, and while he enjoys living the high society life, when he's confronted by something of a conundrum he really does devote himself to it."

 _Lucky me_ , Moira had thought idly. She'd had her fair run of physicals, both at the academy and during her time as an agent, and despite the regularity she had never grown to like them.

"What does S.H.I.E.L.D training entail?" Moira asked as they turned into a maintenance stairwell and proceeded downstairs.

"For a field agent you'll receive relative strength training, language tuition - although Fury informed me that you already speak proficient Russian - instruction in weapons handling, martial arts or boxing are common options - although it really all depends on your superior officer and what they advise. Your test scores from the CIA prove you're already efficiently trained in the basics, personally I'd move you straight into more specialised fighting styles."

"Being a field agent involves a lot of action then?"

Moira stopped at the entrance to the wing. "If that's something you're opposed to we could move you into reconnaissance or into a team, something less physically demanding."

"No, no I'm not opposed to that. And I'm glad of the opportunity to learn more, I just..." Moira breathed, "I'm just wondering how peaceful an organisation you are if your standard training programme involves martial arts or boxing."

"The CIA offers boxing electives." Carter defended.

" _Yes_ , but they are an elective." _And_ something she wasn't given access to.

"S.H.I.E.L.D will never force you to do something you don't want to. But we do want to ensure that you are prepared and capable of keeping yourself, and those around you, safe." Carter held the door open for her.

"I suppose boxing could be interesting." Moira said, walking before Carter who quickly ushered her into a lab that must have spanned half the length of the first floor.

Tossing onto her side Moira took a deep breath before flipping the light switch by her head off. It didn't make much of a difference, the yellow streetlights outside the barracks streamed through the uncovered window. She turned over to face the wall. Her eyes were closed for half a minute before they opened again.

As ridiculous as it sounded, she felt like it was the first day before school. Except, instead of school, she had signed up to work for yet another intelligence agency. An agency where she would be working more cases like the Hellfire Club. Encountering, _what_? More mutants, more people with powers - natural or manmade?

She was effectively forced out of the Mutants Division - for what, her humanity? At least this organisation was run by and populated by her own species who didn't expect her to have powers and fight psychopaths determined to start a new world order by killing all humans. Well, she might still be expected to fight psychopaths.

Carter made it sound like she would have the opportunity to learn some incredible things. Moira had always been jealous at the academy by the men who went into the boxing club - her superiors had argued she couldn't partake as there were no other women for her to fight, and it would be unfair to pit her against a man. Now she could learn it. Maybe another language too.

Yet there was still something that didn't sit right with her. A feeling that worried away at her, twisting against her gut. A feeling, much like she had experienced when she'd entered the bunks and had experienced a moment of familiarity with the situation. Was it possible a ghost of a memory was enough to make her feel this way? That despite missing the memory, something about her time in the Mutants Division was enough to leave her apprehensive about S.H.I.E.L.D?

Another question she would have to leave unanswered until - _if_ \- she got her memories back. What was it about S.H.I.E.L.D that worried her? There was the fact that she still didn't really understand much about the organisation or what her part in it would be. Was it also possible that even without her memories she still felt a loyalty to Xavier and the other mutants? And was that loyalty even her own or something that had been implanted in there when he'd rooted through her mind? To stop her from doing what she potentially would. To inform an intelligence agency about the mutants. To give away their secrets.

Shuffling until she was on her back, Moira's eyes clenched shut as the yellow light crossed her eyes again. She could still walk away.

"Moira?"

Eyes snapping open, the yellow light had been replaced by white sunlight, slightly shadowed by Agent Carter hovering next to her bed.

"I did try to wake you by knocking. You're due in the conference hall in half an hour." She apologised.

"I don't even remember falling asleep." Moira murmured, sitting up.

"I guess we should put alarm clocks in here. I'll just leave you to get dressed. There's some toiletries in the drawers if you need it. Meet me in the hall when you're ready." Carter said before taking her leave.

Of course Wilkes hadn't lived up to his promise to get her clothes. Evidently Carter was right. Give scientists a puzzle to crack and everything else falls by the wayside. Thankfully after brushing her hair through and putting her suit back on she still looked presentable, if a little ruffled.

Carter passed her a bagel when she opened the door.

"Howard had them delivered."

"Thank you." Moira said. She found it rather strange that the co-founder of the entire organisation was not only escorting her to a routine induction for new recruits but was also waking her up and giving her breakfast. "Are you giving the induction?"

"No, someone else will."

"Oh. Well I'm sure I can find the room if you have something else to..." she trailed off under Carter's scrutinising gaze. "Is something the matter?"

"Once the session is over Howard wants you in the lab again. Apparently he had some equipment brought in from Stark Industries to run more tests with." She replied, looking forward again.

"Alright." Moira said unsurely, making quick work of her bagel to fill the rest of their silent walk. Despite her claim she actually began to doubt whether she would have found her way to the conference room after the number of corridors they took turned down to get to there.

"Pay close attention." Carter said as means of goodbye, leaving her at the door. "I'll be testing you later."

Eventually eleven other recruits joined her to occupy the room. As promised they were all scientists but the induction was generalised and covered the scope of the organisation. Specialists, which given the outline of training Carter had provided appeared to be Moira's career trajectory, were entry level three. According to this structure there were six levels although, given the command structure Moira had seen so far, she was positive there had to be higher clearance levels. Evidently so high no one could know that they existed.

The lecture involved a loose history about the S.S.R, Super Soldier's Initiative and Hydra before progressing onto the establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D and the roles played by Stark, Carter and Phillips. The current director, Rick Stoner, was touched on and there was no mention of Fury. If he were a simple liaison as claimed that would make sense, but Moira felt that his responsibilities in the organisation were far more complicated than that, given his role among the other powerful players during their meeting yesterday.

Carter's role in the establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D surprised her immensely as the speaker went into depth about her role with the S.S.R, Howling Commandos and working alongside Captain America - who _was_ real, with a picture to prove it - to defeat Hydra. By all accounts she was a highly skilled field operative who did the majority of the groundwork in building the organisation after Stark and Phillips came up with the novel concept. The three of them quickly promoted S.H.I.E.L.D from a US to an international agency, coming under the authority of the United Nations, giving it near global authority. Frankly it was a complete wonder how she, an ex-CIA agent, had never heard of it. To function on that scale the operation must be enormous.

By the time he'd finished Moira was feeling that her reaction when entering the meeting yesterday was decidedly inadequate.

Letting the scientists, who were already discussing their upcoming work, pass before her she found herself sharing half smiles with the other female recruits who walked past her. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D was the place for her after all.

Agent Carter was sitting primly in one of the armchairs outside in the waiting area. Moira almost felt star struck and, judging by the double takes from the other recruits, she wasn't the only one.

"Now then." Carter began. "What does S.H.I.E.L.D stand for?"

"Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division."

"Who created the Super-Soldier Serum?"

"Dr. Erskine."

"Who was the first person to take the serum?"

"Red Skull...Johann Schmidt."

Carter pursed her lips satisfactorily as she stood. "Be warned, I'll keep testing you."

"Are you here to take me to the lab?"

" _No_ , I will let you find your own way. I dare say you need to get familiar with this building, you'll be spending a lot of time here. What I _am_ here to tell you is that I expect you to meet me at the training facilities, that's just beside the eastern gate, at 08:00 tomorrow. I would make it earlier but you need time to commute from home. Just be sure to set an alarm, I won't tolerate tardiness."

Moira frowned and hastened to follow her as she started marching ahead. "I don't understand. _You're_ training me?"

"Yes. As of right now, I'm your S.O. Do _not_ let me down." She said, her warm tone undermining the strictness of her words. "I don't undertake personal training often so I expect the best you can give me, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Not ma'am, Agent." Carter corrected.

"Of course." Moira said, her lips twitching into a slight smile before she hastily corrected it.

 **XXXXX**

I wrote the original before Agent Carter was released so this version builds more on the role Carter played in the foundation of the organisation - which was over twenty years before this story and the events of First Class is set. I hope you enjoyed this chapter- which characters are you hoping to see in the upcoming chapters? More Marvel fan-favourites, or some X-Men? 


	5. Born on the Bayou

"Sorry." Dr. Wilkes said as he pulled the needle away and quickly pressed a cotton ball to the fresh mark on her skin, which stood markedly amongst the other fading injection spots on her inner elbows.

"You really don't have to apologise every time." Moira assured as good naturedly as she could manage.

"I know. But I also know how unpleasant it is to be tested on in one of these labs."

Moira quirked an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking I was the _only_ woman you'd brought in to run random tests on in order to restore memories taken from her by an all powerful mutant. Wow, suddenly our relationship feels so _cheap_." She quipped in a rare joke. It must be the lack of blood. Or exhaustion from this morning's relative strength training.

Jason gave her a charming smile as he moved to inspect the blood he had just taken. "Come on now, Moira. You know what we have is special."

"It has to be. Only a masochist would keep coming back for more of this."

" _Ouch_. It's not that bad is it?"

Moira rolled her sleeve back down and hopped off the stool. After spending the day training with Peggy, as she was allowed to call her while getting her ass handed to her, she had once again allowed her hopes to rise that when she'd come into the lab that evening she would be getting news.

Any news - good or bad. Instead she was asked to sit for more tests.

"I guess I'd just thought that we would have made more progress by now."

Wilkes labelled the sample tube as he spoke. "You knew coming into this that it wouldn't be easy. Your case is rare insofar as what we have seen before. Barring a few pieces of evidence, we had no idea that mutants existed until the Mutant Division was formed - let alone existed in such large numbers.

"It's going to take a lot of work for us to get your memories back. And, not to toot my own horn, but _we're_ the best that S.H.I.E.L.D has. I don't know if you know this," he said, dropping his voice, "but _Stark_ is _actually_ quite a big-shot around here."

She gave him a begrudging smile at Howard's expense. That was a man who needed his ego taken down several notches. Although before he'd married Maria he was apparently worse. If that could be believed. "I guess I was hoping I'd have remembered more on my own. I keep trying but I never get more than a few abstract fragments that never really mean anything. And that was back when I first lost my memory. Now I hardly get anything."

"You know you'll never make progress if you don't learn to trust yourself more." Jason said.

"I know that." Moira said brusquely before faltering under the stern gaze that looked uncannily like her S.O's. "I mean...I always used to rely on my gut, follow my hunches but _now_? I try not to but it's like I can't trust my own mind anymore. Because I don't remember _anything_ I don't know what kind of damage to expect."

"I understand why you doubt yourself. I can't even... _fathom_ what it would be like to have someone in your mind, for them to wade through the organ that makes an individual who they are and to take parts of it away. To not only have to doubt yourself, and to not be able to trust your own thoughts, but then to have the people around you lose faith in you as well." He said, setting down the tube before turning to look at her sternly. "I'm _not_ saying this to make you doubt yourself even more. I'm saying I understand why you _would_. But you can't do that anymore. We told you that this wouldn't be easy. But it will be a _lot_ harder if you go into this prepared to distrust anything you learn. If you can't even trust yourself.

"Xavier isn't here, Moira. If we get your memories back, they will be yours. Not something implanted, not something that's been tampered with. And if you don't get them back that's not something to put on yourself. Your memory loss was never your fault - it's something that was done to you."

"I know. It's just hard to...figure out. I can't understand why he did this, because I don't know anything about him."

"You wonder if he did more than take your memories?"

She sat heavily back on her chair. "Sometimes. I don't think he would hurt me. The few feelings I remember I felt _happy_. And Levene said the mutants he met, except Erik, were quite accepting. But recently I still get these protective instincts around the mutants, I almost feel like I'm betraying them. And I don't know whether that's me - and my missing memories still _somehow_ having an impact on my emotions - or if it's some kind of safeguard he put in there to stop me from getting treatment or working on anything related to mutants again."

"How do these feelings manifest themselves?" Jason asked, pulling her charts across the counter. "Are they triggered by certain words, actions, places? Do they happen often?"

"All the memories I have are odd flashes." She repeated, having already explained the few abstract fragments she had during her first examination - including begrudgingly telling the three men about her kiss, which they speculated was when Xavier had removed her memories. Thankfully, unlike her CIA superiors, they hadn't immediately jumped on the memory as a justification to dismiss her.

"Sometimes it's a conversation, other times a place. When I stayed in the barracks I got a feeling of familiarity. At first I thought it was reminding me of when I trained in the academy but I struggled to bring up a memory."

"So you suspect the familiarity is in a lost memory?"

"Exactly."

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "And when we first met and were talking about S.H.I.E.L.D, I got this feeling of - I don't know how to describe it really. _Apprehension_? Which I thought could be connected to the type of work involved, that I was worried about something similar happening to me again. But the more we talked the deeper the feeling got, and when Phillips and Agent Carter started talking about reconnecting with the mutants it almost turned into... _aversion_? Maybe that's not the right word."

"Well given your last interaction that is more than understandable." Jason said while he continued to scribble notes in her file.

"No." Moira said surely. "I wasn't worried about seeing the mutants - well I was, _am_. But the feeling I had, it was more like I was opposed to seeing them through S.H.I.E.L.D, like I knew they wouldn't want to meet with them. Us."

"They _obviously_ value privacy. The most likely cause for Xavier to remove your memories is so the CIA wouldn't learn about the mutants reached by the division or where their current location is." He said, prodding her to further examine her statement.

"I know. But the feeling was mine - _I_ wanted to protect the mutants."

While his eyes were still on his clipboard, Jason started to smile as he wrote. "You do realise that you just said that feeling was yours? Not Xavier tampering with your mind?"

She sat quietly while Jason started shuffling through her file. Reflecting on what she had just said, reflecting on the memory of the feeling she had recalled - she did feel confident that that was her. It wasn't just Xavier either, she felt that there were others that she had to keep safe. Almost as soon as she admitted that to herself, a small part of her warned that she had no reason to protect them, that they weren't to be trusted. Moira stomped on the little voice as hard as she could. Jason was right - she needed to trust her mind again.

A knock disturbed their bubble of silence as Peggy stepped in.

"Dr. Wilkes. Any progress today?" She said amiably, strolling over to the pair.

"I think so. In fact," Jason said tentatively, "after I consult with Howard and Aloysius, we may even be able to start some experimental treatment."

Peggy smiled, turning to look at her student. "Good news indeed."

Moira on the other hand only had eyes for Jason. "You really think so? When could we start?"

"Maybe a few days? We'll have to set up some equipment. And _then_ we have to convince your S.O. to give you a day or two off from training."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Peggy said briskly. "We'll just double your workout to compensate."

Moira bit back a groan of despair. While boxing and hand-to-hand combat was proving a fun challenge, relative strength training was becoming the content of her nightmares. Moira would die happy if she never had to do one more pull-up again.

"Are you finished for now, Dr. Wilkes? I had hoped to spend some time with Miss MacTaggert before she met with Howard later on."

"I don't see the harm - just don't work her too hard."

Peggy walked into the corridor while Moira said goodbye to Jason and Aloysius who had just wandered in, ignoring his usual cantankerous comments as she hurried to catch up with her S.O.

The midday sun was shining brightly over the compound, a rare clear day after a week of rain. It took her a long moment to notice that they were not heading in the usual direction as they were engulfed by personnel leaving offices and meetings for lunch.

"Oh, I thought we were going to train more." She said, as they passed their usual stop and carried on towards the parking lot.

"I thought we would do something different this afternoon."

Opening the door to her car, Peggy ushered Moira into the passenger seat and started the engine.

"Can I ask what we are about to do?" Moira asked as they passed through the gate and made their way onto the access road.

"What does S.H.I.E.L.D stand for?"

The response was becoming a reflex. Maybe that was why her S.O. kept asking her. "Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division." She answered automatically.

"And what does that mean to you?"

"Honestly? That someone _really_ wanted our name to spell out shield."

Moira almost bit her tongue as soon as she said the words. She really must be exhausted.

To her surprise, and thanks, Peggy laughed. "Actually we did. The first exceptional S.H.I.E.L.D worked with carried one."

"Captain America?"

"Steve Rogers." Peggy corrected. " _Part of..._ "

"The Super Soldiers Initiative."

"He is something of a legend within the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So are you." Moira said. In the few interactions she'd had with S.H.I.E.L.D staff outside of the science labs everyone had seemed very impressed that she was working with the founders, let alone was on a first name basis with two of them. She knew that Stark was a personality, but she hadn't expected how loyal the organisation was to Agent Carter and Colonel Phillips. There almost seemed to be a level of fame surrounding the team who had worked with Captain America.

Peggy smiled but didn't comment. "S.H.I.E.L.D acts as a barrier between different forces in the world. Not just between humans and exceptionals, but also between the good and the bad and all the _grey_ in between. We serve to protect."

"I know."

The further lack of response indicated that Peggy didn't believe Moira's half-hearted agreement.

"I had asked Jason to speak with you during today's session. I felt like you would respond better to him."

"Why?"

"Jason has been in a position similar to yours before. Having his _being_ altered through a process uninitiated by himself. Struggling to right himself again." She clarified. "I knew that he could empathise with you in a way that I perhaps couldn't."

"Where _are_ we going?"

"It's not far." Peggy assured.

Moira didn't see the point in asking any more questions until they arrived, and evidently Peggy wasn't the kind of person who needlessly talks to fill silence. Instead she considered their possible destinations, perhaps a surveillance assignment, a field test of some kind. Or maybe they were going to another S.H.I.E.L.D facility.

The parking lot of an unassuming restaurant certainly did not cross her mind as a potential destination and yet that was where they stopped. Moira looked to Peggy for elaboration, but her S.O. merely got out of the car and headed into the establishment without looking back. Then again it didn't take a highly trained agent to guess that Moira would follow.

Peggy waited for Moira by the door before guiding her to a table in the middle of the eatery.

It was very basic inside, white check tiled floors, dark blue walls and dark wooden furniture. It's unassuming nature set Moira slightly on edge - surely they were here for more than lunch?

"What do you fancy for lunch?" Peggy asked brightly, she glanced to the chalk specials board beside the kitchen. "I was thinking about their soup."

Evidently, contrary to what Jason said, her instincts were still far off the mark.

"Erm," she glanced down at the menu, "maybe the club sandwich?"

"They're very good."

A blonde waitress materialised and Moira placed their order. The waitress shared a smile with Peggy before sashaying into the kitchen.

"Do you two know each other?" Moira asked.

"I'm a regular."

Moira smiled nervously as they lapsed into silence. "Really. Why am I here?"

"I thought it best that we spend time getting to know one another." She replied, leaning back as the waitress came back to pour them both water. They declined coffee.

Peggy waited until she had left before resuming. "I want you to be able to trust me. I _need_ you to trust me if I am going to be an efficient teacher. You are an excellent student, Moira. But I sense after everything trust is not something that will come easily to you anymore."

"I would have thought that would be an advantage to an...to people in our line of work." She amended, in consideration of the people around her.

"It pays to be wary, to not let yourself get overly attached. _In your missions_. Don't forget however that you will work within teams, you will work with other members of staff. You work with an organisation. If you trust _no one_ , your work will only be so efficient."

"So you want me to pledge faith to the agency, to not question..."

"You should always question." Peggy interrupted. "And I'm not asking you to blindly trust us, I'm asking you to trust _me_. Training is difficult. The treatment you will go through will be more difficult. There will be times it seems too much, that this path is too hard, that the commitment this takes is not worth the cost. When that happens. I want you to feel like you can talk to me about it. I want you to know that I..."

Whatever Peggy wanted Moira to know was cut off by a plate shattering and a hysterical cry. The two women glanced at each other before warily standing. The blonde waitress came back out of the kitchen.

"Angie. What is it? What's the matter?" Peggy said, her hand landing on the whitening woman's arm.

"They were playing the radio in the kitchen and I just heard." Angie said, dropping her tone to a whisper before casting a nervous eye around the restaurant. "President Kennedy's just been shot."

"Cancel our order, put the cost on my tab." Peggy said efficiently, nodding to Moira to follow her to the car.

"We need to get back to headquarters."

"Sure." Moira said, barely able to hear her S.O. over her own mind.

President Kennedy. Shot. President Kennedy. Speech. Speech, there was something about a speech.

Turning on the radio, Peggy peeled out of the parking lot and headed back towards base. There was no need to find a news channel, every station was talking about it.

By the time they pulled into Peggy's usual space the President was dead, but all Moira wanted to do was talk to Jason.

Still just a flash but this time there was a clear moment. President Kennedy was speaking, giving a speech, something about weapons. The mutants were there, they were listening to him speak. And then she turned to look at Charles and he looked right back at her.

More tangible than grainy footage or a photo Levene had found from a British newspaper. An actual memory of him.

She stood in the lobby as the agency moved in frantic motion. She stood still for a moment, and then she moved with them.

 **XXXXX**

X-Men First Class was set in 1962, so I figured Moira must have had her memories wiped in autumn sometime then she worked at the CIA for several more months before joining SHIELD in mid- to late-1963. Oh and the relative strength training/pull up is an Agents of SHIELD reference!  
I've started Camp NaNoWriMo this month and am working on an original story but am aiming to keep up with my target of one chapter per week. As always please let me know what you thought of the chapter, I've had some lovely comments so far :) 


	6. Long As I Can See The Light

I am SO sorry about not updating sooner, I just hit a solid wall when it came to this chapter. Eventually I just had to power through, so apologies if it's not the best but I had to jump over the hurdle or I'd never finish this story!

 **XXXXX**

Left, right double jab, left, right, left double jab.

"Moira." Peggy said. "You're tensing your shoulders again."

She felt a pair of hands land on her shoulders and firmly tug down. "There."

She hit again and it felt better, stronger. "Thanks."

Peggy moved around to the other side of the bag and looked her over.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No."

Pursing her lips, Peggy continued to correct Moira's form, not stepping back until she was satisfied with her pupil's footwork. After a particularly vicious hook to the right side of the bag, she tried again.

"You're tensing again."

Moira rolled her shoulders back down and resumed.

"You still look tense."

Trying to roll her shoulders down even more, Peggy interrupted her. "Not your form."

"I'm just focused."

Walking around the bag, Peggy stepped into her line of vision. " _No_. You're angry."

Moira let out a sharp exhale as she punched again. "Are you telling me anger and punching don't mix?"

"Anger will only get you so far. Strength comes from clarity of mind." Peggy said, pulling Moira's fist down. That sounded like the kind of philosophical crap Charles would spew.

Attempting to swallow a growl of frustration, Moira let her arms hang limply by her side as she turned to her S.O.

"Talk to me."

Moira wiped her forehead with the back of her taped hands to avoid Peggy's eyes. "When I remember - when I get _fragments_ of memories - the main thing I seem remember are the emotions rather than a full visual memory."

Peggy stood quietly, waiting for an elaboration. Meeting her S.O.'s eyes, Moira realised she would keep waiting and sighed with defeat.

"When I remembered Charles, _Xavier's_ face last week. I - I really cared about him. That brief moment that I remember, I felt... _special_. Cared about. And I cared about him. When we were listening to the speech and I realised how much danger the mutants were in. I wanted to protect them." Moira confessed before immediately falling silent, almost burning with a strong sense of shame. If she was at the CIA right now and had said that to her superiors or a fellow agent she would be torn to shreds.

"Especially him." Peggy prompted when Moira said nothing further. "You wanted to protect _him_."

"And the others." She quickly rebutted.

"It's alright, Moira. I'm not going to judge you. We've all felt that way about someone before."

"I guess that person didn't then betray you and ruin your career." Moira said quickly, continuing before Peggy could speak. "What does it say about me? And my judgement?"

"You need to trust..."

"...myself, I know. Dr. Wilkes said the same thing."

"Then maybe you should listen." Peggy said sternly. "He is a doctor after all."

"I was hoping with this treatment that I would have started remembering by now - that I would have found some memory to justify everything."

"To justify your feelings?"

Resisting the temptation to take the easy out, Moira told the truth. "To justify his decision to take them."

Once again there was no judgement, Peggy simply nodded. "This isn't an exact science, they're only working on guesses. It could take a long time before it leads to anything concrete."

"I know. And I'm grateful for everything that they've - that _S.H.I.E.L.D_ \- has done for me. It's just hard not to get impatient. I feel so _close_."

"Certainly a good sign." Peggy smiled, taking the punching bag in hand. "And luckily for you, if you do get frustrated, you have the perfect outlet."

"I thought you said anger and punching don't mix?" Moira said, quirking an eyebrow as she resumed her routine.

"I said it would only get you so far. In the field it could get you killed." Peggy said sternly.

"Strength comes from clarity of mind." She parroted.

" _Exactly._ Now, give me ten more minutes then you better go get washed up before your next set of injections."

Over the past several weeks, Wilkes had been administering a serum that was designed to - well Moira didn't really understand the intricacies of what it would do. Ultimately it should trigger a release of her memories, which Wilkes was now confident had been suppressed rather than removed. Unfortunately, since Kennedy's assassination, Moira had seen nothing new and she wasn't the only one becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress.

"I'm telling you we have to try something new." Aloysius was insisting as Moira walked into the lab. "Your serum clearly isn't wielding any results, I say we move on to my idea."

"The serum takes time." Jason grated. "It has a lot of damage to repair, it was never going to work miracles overnight."

"I see no reason we can't use both." Howard interjected, the rare voice of reason. He beckoned Moira into the fold, bringing her presence to the attention of the others. Jason smiled friendlily as she moved to stand by his side.

"What's the new idea?" Moira asked, bracing herself for an onslaught of scientific jargon to which she could only nod her head and make half-interested humming noises. It seemed almost incredible that they all had wives - especially Aloysius whose every other sentence seemed to be a complaint or judgement.

Then again, who was she to judge?

"Samberly wants to use a prototype machine. It shows images intended to trigger a neurological response." Howard explained.

"After you regained another memory it occurred to me that physical stimuli may be required to activate your memories. Certain sounds, smells, images..."

"And you have a machine that can do all of that?"

"A prototype." Jason clarified. "It's only been tested a few times and primarily as a form of cognitive suggestion."

"It doesn't require any invasive procedures so there's no harm in letting Moira use the machine alongside your treatments." Howard concluded.

"Excellent." Moira said, only slightly concerned that S.H.I.E.L.D was developing what sounded to be a mind control machine. "Can we start today?"

"I don't see why _not_?" Samberly said, turning to his colleagues. Howard instantly agreed and after a second Jason did too.

"I'm going to keep working on the serum, I may be able to make some modifications to it now we're altering the treatment plan." Jason said, staying behind in the main lab as Howard and Aloysius led her into one of the smaller labs.

"Is that it?" Moira said, feeling the slightest bit of trepidation as she eyed the cylindrical machine with only a small window at the front to look out of.

"No, no." Howard replied, hastening her forward. "That was for someone else."

X

The table felt cold and unforgiving beneath her and Moira struggled not to move. Aloysius explained once again through the microphone that it would be best if she remained still.

"Sorry it's not more comfortable in here." Jason said sympathetically as he prepped the needle on the table beside her. "It's still in its early phases."

"It's fine." Moira said. She was getting used to it.

"I've redesigned the serum slightly to try and work in harmony with Samberly's procedure, hopefully it will make you more suggestive to external stimuli and will trigger another memory." He said softly, pressing the needle into her skin. She barely felt it anymore.

"I'll be just on the other side of that glass if you need anything." Jason promised, wiping her arm and taking his things back outside. The door closed.

"Focus on the screen like last time." Samberly instructed.

It was hard not to, there was little else in the dark enclosure to draw her attention other than the screen crackling in front of her, waiting for a signal.

"Starting now."

The temperature began to rise - last week it had gotten colder. Ambient noises, clicking, talking, engine, gunshot, coughing. Flashing images. Children, grass, books, smile, river, moon.

Everything flashed and Moira focused with all of her might. And yet, once again, the lights raised and she remembered nothing.

"Don't lose faith." Howard reassured, walking her out to the parking lot. "We'll keep trying, keep modifying - if it comes down to it I'll track down Xavier myself and demand he gives them back."

"He'd probably just make you forget too." Moira grouched before offering Howard a kind smile. Once she'd realised his flirting was endemic to his personality, Moira had quickly found him to be an easy person to spend time with. She was starting to see how her S.O. was such good friend's with the entrepreneur, despite an obvious difference in character. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good evening. Get some sleep." He said, before strolling back into the building.

Stepping out from the portico, a strong breeze washed over her face. She jerked back and froze, unsure why she had moved away from a slight draught.

Moira moved out into the open again, directly into the path of the wind. It blew across her, this time accompanied by a strong smell of flowers. Caught off guard by the scent in the sterile lot, Moira stumbled sideways. Gravel crunched under her feet instead of tarmac. She wasn't alone but she couldn't make out who was with her.

And then the memory hit her. It was him. _Charles_. They were walking together around a mansion – his mansion. In Westchester. They were talking about him opening a school for mutants. He was going to be a Professor, Professor X. And she was promising not to tell anyone about it.

He said he believed her before moving to kiss her. They'd kissed before and she didn't hesitate to return it, feeling happy and loved. From that first moment of bliss however, it slowly soured and she almost felt cold. It felt like he was stealing the breath from her lungs. He was stealing far more than that, but she was barely able to register what he was doing. Unable to ask him, _beg him_ to stop before everything went dark.

Blinking back a tear Moira turned on her heel and walked back into the building. It took only a few seconds for her to abandon her shakily recollected composure and break into a sprint. She reached Howard before he could even finish the walk back to the lab.

 **XXXXX**

The cylindrical chamber is the same one used with Steve Rogers when he's administered the super solider serum. Have a good bank holiday weekend or Cinco de Mayo depending on where you are!


	7. Travelin' Band

I'm ever so sorry about the delay. My dog had to have a tumour removed last month and until we got the all clear I wasn't really in a creative headspace. I'll work to catch up.

XXXXX

 _Six Months Later_

She continued with her treatments. More memories came back.

She continued her training. After two months her sessions were cut back to three times a week and she began to take on office level intelligence work - reviewing confiscated files, listening in on phone taps - pretty standard work. She tagged along with Peggy on one mission and stood back as her S.O. took out the guards virtually single-handedly.

By three months her work load had increased and she met with Peggy only twice a week.

By the sixth month they only saw each other for training for a few hours once a week, Moira now largely practicing on her own around her shifts in the comm. labs. She went on more operations with Peggy however and her S.O. increasingly trusted her to take point.

It was still a surprise when Peggy announced she would be receiving her badge the following day. She was becoming an official SHIELD agent, a specialist - from now on she would be taking solo field assignments, sometimes within a team but mostly alone. She would receive Level 3 clearance, a significant boost from her Entry Level 1.

Peggy looked over. "You've displayed excellent aptitude in all of our fields of training - and given your prior experience with the CIA - we always expected for you to, _graduate_ as it were, in a quicker timeframe than most new recruits." She smiled. "You deserve this Agent MacTaggert. And I have no doubt that you will do yourself, me and the organisation proud."

"Thank you." Moira said genuinely.

"You'll start taking on solo field assignments as soon as you get your pin and badge."

"Do I get a cool code name?" She asked, half jokingly. She'd met Agent 324 the other day, although of course Peggy was on a first name basis with her. There had also been introductions made to a Red, Agent 9 and Rapture - the latter of whom introduced himself like they were old friends. Peggy had firmly led her away with a hand on her shoulder when she began to inexplicably beam back at him.

"We'll work on it." Peggy smiled, standing to take her leave.

"Will you be there when I get the badge?" Moira called after her.

Catching herself on the doorframe, Peggy shot her a playfully exasperated look. "Just what kind of S.O. do you think I am?"

Preparing for her new job had been a huge commitment - despite the warnings from her S.O. and co-workers, Moira had assumed it would be similar to her CIA training. Instead she felt as though she had just been trained to be a one-woman army, diplomat and bandit. She'd been taught everything from breaking into a secure facility to talking down a capricious enhanced. In a fight she was beginning to be able to give Agent Carter a run for her money, and Moira had even been given rudimentary science lessons in the labs in case she would need to deal with explosives, volatile chemicals or some form of contagion during a mission.

And yet, in spite of it all, the thought of actually achieving her goal - of becoming the person she had striven to become in the CIA - was nothing short of unbelievable.

There was only a handful of people at the 'graduation' - two scientists, one field agent and three technicians. They all watched, not even attempting to school their looks of awe as Peggy stepped up to pin the S.H.I.E.L.D badge to Moira's lapel and hand her her badge.

"Welcome to the agency, Agent 24." Peggy winked.

Moira suppressed a smile as she was stood facing the small crowd - nevertheless she knew Peggy could see how pleased she was. There were no more doubts - she belonged here. She had the badge to prove it.

As they all broke off to talk amongst themselves and drink the complimentary champagne, Peggy discreetly pulled Moira towards the door. "We've brought together another meeting amongst the board..."

Moira opened her mouth to apologise for keeping her.

"We need you in with us."

Shutting her mouth, Moira followed her S.O. back to the boardroom where this whole journey had begun. Waiting until they were beyond hearing range, Moira asked, "Am I getting a mission?"

Peggy paused, looking almost uncomfortable until she corrected the expression. "If you _choose_ to take it. The choice is entirely yours."

The founders were all there again, Phillips looking tired as he sat at the head of the table. The Director, Rick Stoner, sat at the other end and Peggy was quick to make introductions before taking her seat at Phillips' other side.

Stoner was a solid looking man, his eyes alert and his jaw firmly set. He was flanked by Agent 9 and Nick Fury. Apparently he had been the Director for several years now - almost a CEO of sorts, the only way Moira could figure out the structural organisation of S.H.I.E.L.D in her head. Stoner hadn't quite been there since the beginning but certainly long enough to be established as a well-respected, if slightly feared, figure in the organisation. Peggy had explained over lunch at the restaurant after half a decade of attempting to run S.H.I.E.L.D between themselves, the founders had realised they needed a buffer of sorts. Someone to run the organisation and free the founders up to pursue their own individual causes. Stark still ran his company, of course, Peggy hadn't wanted to completely give up field assignments, and Phillips had gone into semi-retirement. Evidentially, much to Peggy's amusement, his wife had put her foot down.

Secretly bemused by the polarisation of the table, Moira sat herself at its centre with her back to the door figuring it was her safest option.

"Congratulations on completing your training, Agent MacTaggert." Stoner said, eying her carefully. His voice sounded rough, almost a constant wariness to it as he slowly ploughed on with his message. "I've been told you've made exemplary progress during your time here. I look forward to seeing how you perform in the field."

"Thank you, sir." Moira nodded.

"Which brings us to today's topic." He continued, linking his hands together on the table. "As I am sure you have gathered, by the presence of our esteemed board, it is a mission of particular sensitivity. I have also been reminded to say, on more than one occasion," he rumbled, raising an eyebrow at her S.O., "that this is an assignment that you may turn down given it's... _personal_ nature."

Moira's stomach instantly knotted, knowing what was coming next.

"We're talking, of course, about the so-called _X-Men_. Now it is my understanding that you have a long and _complicated_ history with this group, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"And as such, you have been put forward as an individual with a unique insight into this group and as someone who would be best placed on this mission."

"And, might I ask, what is the mission? _Sir_."

Stoner's heavy eyebrows pulled low over his eyes. "To make contact with the X-Men, to make them aware of S.H.I.E.L.D's existence and to discuss the potential threat that is Erik Lehnsherr."

Moira mentally sent thanks along the table to Howard who had been the one to insist that she learn poker as part of her trainings oftentimes random subjects.

Keeping her expression neutral, Moira nodded to signal she had heard him while she quickly sought to reflect on the implications. She couldn't go to the mansion, surely Charles would just wipe her memory again. And if Erik was there - well the man had tried to strangle her to death the last time they saw each other. It was a risk and one that Moira was not, if she were being honest with herself, keen to take.

"We've been keeping close tabs on them ever since you were able to provide intel on their location." Phillips stated, breaking the lull.

Moira frowned. "In that case this mission could already be compromised. If Xavier _heard_ any of your agents watching the house..."

"We worked around that." Phillips said. He smirked slightly, seemingly pleased with himself. "We sent in low-level operatives. Gave no details about the X-Men. Just sent them on exercises, simple missions - sometimes even errands - in the Winchester area. We tapped some phones in the local police stations, hospitals and fire stations during staff changeovers so no one permanent would notice - if an event goes down anywhere in the vicinity of that mansion, we'll be some of the first people to know about it."

"Our people will be briefed about the abilities of the few mutants you have been able to inform us about, and who we expect to be there. You will wait in town as backup if required and as an on-site source of information. Given what happened the last time you were in the company of mutants, we don't expect you to go to the mansion. Just remain a short distance nearby. Be on hand." Fury explained.

Agent 9 spoke up. "Of course if you chose to, you could be an extremely helpful asset if you accompanied the welcome committee to the mansion."

"It's not a position we want to force you into however." Fury finished for her, ignoring the looks of the people he had seated himself beside.

There was no way Fury was older than 30. His presence at this table was something Moira had considered more than once and surprisingly, given how much she had shared about the other S.H.I.E.L.D members, Peggy hadn't given much up on Fury's role in the organisation. All she knew was that he used to work for the CIA, was now a liaison between the two agencies and had somehow earned himself a place at the board table where he felt at ease disagreeing with his boss and a senior agent. Moira didn't know whether to admire him or start digging for skeletons in his closet.

Nevertheless she shot him a thankful look before glancing towards her S.O. for any suggestions. Unfortunately Peggy looked as benign as she did when she would knock Moira flat out on the mat. She must have won thousands off Stark in poker.

"Even if I'm not going to the mansion, Xavier will be able to see me in the heads of the agents you send. He'll know I'm nearby."

"That's certainly true." Stoner agreed, visibly preparing to use that fact to bolster his position that she should enter the mansion. Moira cut him off before he could proceed.

"He'll also see that I'm the source of information. He could perceive me as a threat - he's made it more than clear that he doesn't accept any interference from external agencies. Not after Division X."

"I think I have a roundabout way of dealing with that." Stark offered, head in hand as he looked down the table at Stoner. "Moira here compiles a report on the X-Men, we give the report to the welcome committee and then keep Moira separate from the team until after they've made first contact. We keep her in a separate hotel room, give the lead agent a number to contact. That way he'll only have her voice. You can do a few different accents right." He stated rhetorically.

That was actually quite a fun class.

"That seems a lot of work and effort." Stoner countered. "Do we really think this _Xavier_ will attempt to wipe Agent MacTaggert's memory _again_? In the presence of a whole team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents? After it's already been demonstrated that we have the capability to restore them?"

"I highly doubt it." Peggy said, finally speaking up. Moira's heart plummeted. "Nevertheless, don't you think it might be worthwhile to keep Agent MacTaggert up our sleeve, as it were? If the X-Men have no way of knowing where we get our intel from, then we can be certain they have no way of stopping the flow of information. And I would say it gives insurance to the team we are sending in. He won't attempt to manipulate them if he knows there is some unknown nearby watching their back. He won't know until our team turns up that we exist, he doesn't know if we have powered people like Division X did before he joined. I think, strategically, keeping Moira back will put us in a stronger decision."

"I agree." Howard said, a smug smile creeping across his face.

"As do I." Philips said.

"The plan certainly has merits." Fury added, again casting a blind eye to his boss's expression.

"Well then, I appear to have been outvoted. Get your report together then get packing. You head out the day after next Agent MacTaggert."

XXXXX

Agent 324, Red, Agent 9 and Rapture all appeared in the Marvel comic books, most of them around the time of early SHIELD. They may make a reappearance, two of them seem to be particularly interesting so I wouldn't mind writing them into the story. As for Agent 24 - X is the 24th letter of the alphabet so Moira is essentially Agent X. Couldn't resist :D Apologies yet again for the delay, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Expect some X-Men character appearances in the next chapter. 


	8. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Tightening her seatbelt, Moira rubbed her ears as they began to descend. They'd been popping for the last thirty minutes.

They'd boarded a commercial airline. The 'welcome committee' (as S.H.I.E.L.D so fondly called them) were sat further ahead with no idea that their contact was onboard with them. During her final debrief Fury had mentioned the team's long experience in initiating contact with exceptionals, but the nature of the so-called X-Men was unusual. As far as Moira knew, after all she only had Level 3 clearance, S.H.I.E.L.D had never approached this many exceptionals at once.

Her report was thorough - the team were well aware that they were meeting with a potentially large group of highly powered, and perhaps hostile, mutants. At Moira's insistence they would go in unarmed, badges on display. Guns would have no effect anyway, and it could be seen as a peace offering of sorts. She left the rest to their discretion. Fury, at the very least, was more than confident in their abilities and she had to be too. The team had had experience with exceptionals before, they would know what to expect.

Moira hadn't had that luxury during her first encounter with the mutants, when she glimpsed a woman carved from diamonds and a man who appeared to be the devil.

Once they had made contact they would retreat back to the hotel they had been booked into, the address of which they would give to the X-Men in a show of good faith. From there they were to call their contact. Moira would be at a guest house a short walk away. Close enough to get to the team if anything went wrong and they needed a specialist agent. Hopefully far enough away that Charles wouldn't be able to hear her if he decided to take up the offer to visit the team.

The knot that had been in Moira's stomach since she joined S.H.I.E.L.D, the one that wringed of betrayal, was flaring up again. Usually she could quickly quiet it once she started to think about everything she'd gone through after Charles had taken her memories. Today it was harder.

He had wiped her mind for a reason, to keep organisations like S.H.I.E.L.D from showing up on his doorstep. To keep his pupils safe. Moira couldn't imagine S.H.I.E.D trying to exploit the X-Men - their own agents were more than capable. The only occasion Moira could think of that they would need to bring in the mutants would be if they were going up against another one of their kind. Namely Lehnsherr. And even in that case, Moira remembered how much Charles used to drag his heels when it came to dealing with Erik.

Erik would no doubt be furious that Moira had revealed their existence - even though plenty of people, government higher ups anyway, knew that mutants were real without her help. There had been an awful lot of people on those ships outside of Cuba after all.

How Charles would react on the other hand, Moira wasn't sure. He would be cautious around S.H.I.E.L.D, definitely. Undoubtedly he'd be curious about other exceptionals they'd encountered, if they were mutants or something else entirely. Then he'd want to know how Moira got her memories back.

Of course if he had just listened to her assurances that she'd keep quiet rather than invading her mind they wouldn't be in this situation at all.

There was no need for her to feel guilty about this, she thought firmly to herself. After remembering her time with the mutants she knew it was only a matter of time before they did something so explosive that there would be no putting the lid back on the box. If anything S.H.I.E.L.D could be an asset to them. Moira didn't think there was much of anything they couldn't keep quiet.

The plane touched down and Moira hoped that the growing queasiness was just a result of her ears finally clearing.

She was careful to take her time while disembarking to give the team time to get out of the airport. Moira must have been the only person in the back rows to be thankful to be trapped in a queue behind two old men blocking the aisle while they heartily discussed yesterday's baseball game, oblivious to the huffs and sighs emanating from behind them.

"Hey, move it along would you?" A red faced man called out after a few moments. The men looked slightly bashful before stepping aside for the other passengers.

As the team wouldn't be needing her for several hours, Moira stopped at the hotel bar for some tonic water with the hope that it would settle her stomach. After sending two men packing, she eventually moved on to catch a cab.

By her calculations the team would be checking into the hotel as she got in the car. By the time she was checking into her own room, they would have already travelled the short journey to the mansion. What the outcome of that would be would be something she wouldn't learn for at least several hours - if all went well at least. Tactical support would alert her if there were any calls made to the emergency services.

The guest house was as quaint as could be expected but it was a solidly built, clean house - more than suitable resting her head. Tossing her case onto the bed, Moira quickly established that the doorframe into the wardrobe was sturdy enough to support her weight. She might as well use the free time practically, and some light training would get the blood flowing in case there was an emergency call out.

In the few training sessions they had together before her graduation, Carter had moved Moira onto martial arts and Tai Chi was proving a favourite for her when practicing in her spare time at home or on the road. Her balance had already improved significantly. Besides, a guest house was hardly likely to have a gym to do strength training and, apart from pull ups and crunches, there wasn't much else she could do in a small bedroom.

Moving an overstuffed armchair to the side, Moira started to level out her breathing but found it hard to empty her mind. Every time she achieved near concentration she'd wonder what was happening to the team, what they might be going through.

During her brief time with Xavier and his _friends_ she never really took the opportunity to understand the depth of his powers. She knew he was uncommonly powerful, even amongst other mutants, but at the time she had never expected some of his more controlling powers to be turned on her. Moira had, of course, been highly conscience about the possibility that he could be present in her mind without her awareness. Unless he communicated with her telepathically she never knew whether he was reading her or not. A fact she found quite disturbing - something she didn't share with him in conversation and which she was unsure whether or not he knew.

It was an odd sensation to become accustomed to - the idea that your mind was no longer secure. Whether her thoughts were safe. It had also led to some extreme paranoia when using the shower or getting changed, until she told herself he was too decent for such things. Just thinking about him upset her breathing. She wondered how deeply he was probing the other agent's minds, how much he'd learnt about S.H.I.E.L.D.

Although, if she were being honest, her primary concern was whether or not he had realised that she worked there. Moira had encountered at least one team member in training before, and she had been a regular fixture at the base where the team would be stationed when they weren't on a mission.

If he did know, was he angry? Did he feel betrayed?

She stumbled slightly while shifting into her next posture and angrily cursed herself. What did _she_ care.

Realising she was too worked up to do Tai Chi, Moira contemplated going for a jog. Of course if someone rang she would miss the call.

With a sigh she stretched her arms and prepared to do some pull ups when the room to her room banged open. There was no conscious thought - her side arm was drawn and pointed at the figure in the doorway, finger on the trigger. She could picture Peggy beside her, looking at her stopwatch with a small smile.

Alex stood there, out of breath with a nervous eye on her gun.

" _Summers_?" Moira cried. "What th...how did you know I was here?"

"Old lady downstairs." He said, pointing his thumb behind him.

Moira scowled in return.

"The Professor told me. He sent me to bring you to the house."

" _Bring me_?" She asked, using the resentment in her voice to mask any trepidation. Moira had been involved in clearing up the bomb shelter after Alex practically destroyed it. That was not a power she wanted turning on her, training or no.

Alex nodded, brow furrowing and his hands twitching nearly imperceptibly at his sides. "We need to go. Magneto showed up."

" _Who_?"

"Erik - he calls himself Magneto now. It's weird, I know. Raven gave him the name." He said, nose turning up.

 _Right_ , in the same breath she had named Alex _Havok_ , Hank _Beast_ and Charles _Professor X_. Suffice to say the paltry human didn't get a nickname.

"What is he doing there?"

"He's trying to steal Charles' recruits - like the other guy did except so far he doesn't seem to be killing any resistors. Charles," Alex waved his fingers at his temples, "me, and I got out the mansion before they started rounding everyone up. Seems to think Erik isn't really there for what he says he is."

"Like what?"

Alex grunted. "I didn't really have time to ask questions, I was a little busy running to get _you_." He said, irritation thickening his voice. "And would you mind putting the gun down?"

Moira kept it steadily trained on him. "You said Erik was there and I know Raven is on his side. Prove it's really you."

He opened his mouth before snapping it shut again. Frown deepening, Alex looked down at his shoes while he struggled to recollect something. "After they all left us on the beach you were holding on to the Professor, but Hank knew they'd only respond to you on the radio and we needed to get him to the hospital. He tried to get you up but we were all in a bit of shock so he started growling, actual to god growling," Alex grinned in spite of himself, "to get us all moving. I sat with him while you went back to the plane. You didn't come back out until the boat was in sight.

"She wasn't there for that bit - she wouldn't know any of that."

Moira slowly lowered her arms, gun still firmly in hand. "Is the team alright?"

"Oh yeah, we're pretty well matched these days." Alex replied, moving away from the doorframe, apparently oblivious to S.H.I.E.L.D's presence at the mansion. He must think she was talking about the _X-Men_ , she realised. "We've been recruiting."

Moira grabbed her bag.

"What are you doing here anyway, I thought you'd gone back?" Alex asked.

"I'll tell you on the way."

Alex looked down at her right hand, a movement Moira followed. Her knuckles were turning white around her weapon. "You know that won't work on him."

"That's okay, I've got something special for _Magneto_."

 **XXXXX**

Finally an X-Men, huh :D It only took 8 chapters. Stay tuned, we'll get some of the big names in the next chapter. As always please let me know what you think and have a great day! 


	9. Hey Tonight

Alex had driven to the guest house and they were soon speeding back towards the mansion. Moira took the opportunity to switch into her tactical gear in the back seat, after giving Alex stern instructions to keep his eyes forward.

She was attempting to recall the layout of the mansion when the subject in question rose into sight. Her stomach wrung itself painfully.

"How's your training been going?" Moira asked Alex to distract herself.

"Good, my aim's a lot better than it used to be. I'd feel better with my gear though, but it's back in my room."

"You might not need it - Lehnsherr's probably gone by now anyway."

"Maybe." He agreed cautiously. "Still - better safe than sorry."

"Do you know which room they were in?"

"The Professor was in his study. It's been moved downstairs, few doors down from the right of the staircase."

"We'll take the side entrance then. I'll take point, you can cover my rear - got it?"

" _Sure_." Alex agreed, critically surveying her in the rear-view mirror. "Are you planning to explain the new get-up at any point here, because I'd _definitely_ remember if you wore that last time."

"I left the CIA," she said, seeing no point in lying, "before they could get rid of me anyway. Joined a new organisation called S.H.I.E.L.D. There's a team in there now." Moira replied, pointing ahead at the mansion. "They were introducing themselves."

" _Shie_..."

"Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. And yes, I am fully aware it's a ridiculously long name."

" _What_..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D is an international organisation, overseen by the U.N., which deals with international events." Moira said, cutting his question off again. She had no doubt that the welcome committee did not do things this way but then she wasn't in their team.

"Like the Mutant Division on steroids?" Alex asked warily.

Moira snorted. "Sure, but run by people who actually know what they're doing. And who give their employees dental."

Alex pulled into the side of the lane, car hidden by the wall surrounding the property, and parked the car. They'd make their way up the drive on foot to avoid drawing attention. "And you brought them _here_?" He accused.

Climbing back into the front to get to the door, Moira huffed at his tone. "They were coming here anyway; in case you didn't pay much attention, the water around Cuba was getting quite a lot of traffic when we were out there."

"But you still told them things about us?" Alex gritted out, looking like he was ready to shout if not for the situation inside. They both shut their car doors as quietly as they could and went around the corner, going over the wall.

"Don't get all high and mighty with me Summers." Moira snapped. "I wouldn't have had to go to S.H.I.E.L.D at all if it weren't for all of you. I would still be at the CIA."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, face scrunching up as they run at a crouch to the side of the building.

" _Your Professor_ wiped my memory and then dumped me back home." Moira hissed under her breath, testing the door handle to ensure the door wasn't locked. It wasn't. "I had to endure months of...do you have any idea how _awful_ it is? Forgetting everything, having to go to people to find out the _tiniest_ pieces of information about my _own_ life. How other agents, how my _bosses_ treated me? At least S.H.I.E.L.D has treated me with respect which is more than I can say for any of _you_."

Alex looked completely bewildered. "I thought you just left and went back to work. None of us knew, we just thought..." His usual stoic expression slid back into place. "I never thought you would give up our secret, I trusted you. He should have too. But you still shouldn't have brought them here. We've been burned by these kinds of people before."

"And I've been burned twice." Moira retorted, cautiously opening the door. She drew her weapon and Alex clenched his fists as they entered the hallway.

' _I know I have little right to ask any favours of_ you _, but if you could find a way to not shoot any of my pupils I would fully appreciate it._ ' His voice rang throughout every recess of her mind and Moira had to tense to avoid a violent shudder. ' _They have no idea that you're here but they are looking for Alex._ '

"What should I do?" Alex asked out loud behind her. Moira realised then that he was communicating to them both.

"Go ahead Alex." Moira answered. "If they know where you are they'll stop searching the building and then I might be able to get up behind them."

"But..."

' _The front entrance is clear. Move_ now _Alex._ ' Charles said, backing up her suggestion.

Without any further questions, Alex ran forward.

' _Erik doesn't want to harm anyone,_ I think _, he just wanted to see me and try to sway some of my pupils over to his side. However the presence of your_ friends _has made him rather...twitchy_.'

Moira ducked into one of the rooms. Its door was already open a small crack and Moira was careful to ease it into the same position in case any of Lehnsherr's people were especially eagle-eyed.

' _Stay there for just a few moments, Erik's associates are making their way back now Alex is accounted for. I'll tell you when you're free to move_.'

The floorboards squeaked slightly as someone walked past. Peaking through the gap she saw Frost in diamond form.

Deciding it would be difficult to incapacitate her while she was transformed, Moira let her pass by, holding her breath as she did, watching as she went up the hall.

Needlessly checking her weapon again, knowing full well that it was fully loaded, she forced herself to stand still as she waited for the all clear to move. A loud thud almost jolted her from place but she willed herself to stay still. Not yet.

Even several doors away voices could now be heard, not clearly enough to be discerned but enough to indicate that an argument was taking place. Instinct winning out, Moira tentatively moved out from the room and headed for the hallway.

Moving past the staircase a clumsy footstep was her only warning that she was being snuck up behind. Grabbing onto the handrail she vaulted to crouch behind the other side of the stairs, narrowly missing the flaming ball Angel spat in her direction.

"Agent MacTaggert?" Angel said, straightening up as recognition dawned on her. She moved a little closer, blue dress brushing against her knees. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited. Were you?"

Angel grimaced.

She hesitated for a moment before her lips pursed back to fire again. Moira didn't give her the chance. Springing forward, Moira threw a punch which Angel smartly ducked only to trip as Moira crouched and swung out her leg. This time she had the upper hand and quickly used the butt of her gun to hit the girl across the head.

Glancing around her, Moira tucked her gun back in the holster to drag Angel into an empty room. She brushed aside her hair to check her pulse and, finding her stable, quickly detained her before returning to the hall.

"This is not a negotiation."

 _Erik_. Her hand lifted to her throat before she quickly caught the action. She could hear him clearly now, talking through the door as she hovered cautiously outside.

' _Wait for Erik to move, he's blocking the door_.'

"Erik." She heard Charles say aloud. "If you would just calm down I can explain why these men are here."

"They're the enemy, Charles."

"They are no one's enemy, especially mine. We were having a perfectly pleasant talk until you showed up."

"A _talk_?" Erik gritted. "You're honestly going to let them recruit you _again_. Haven't you learned yet Charles - humans cannot be trusted."

Moira rolled her eyes, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe.

"That's _not true_ , Erik." Charles said calmly. "They've been perfectly open about their intentions, which is more than I can say of you. They're not even armed."

There was a pause.

" _You see_."

"You've been deceived before." Erik grumbled.

"I've been betrayed by as many mutants as humans, Erik."

Moira's fingers tightened as she heard the floorboards creak near the door. Living in an old mansion certainly had one advantage.

' _Don't kill him Moira_."

"It was that woman's fault you were shot."

Her face contorted at the accusation.

" _Moira_ ," Charles corrected, "is not to blame for what happened to me. A gun wouldn't have been necessary, _after all_ , if you hadn't been trying to kill hundreds of innocent people. And if you recall she was not firing at _me_."

"Not one man on that beach was innocent."

' _Now_.'

Raising her foot, Moira kicked the door which slammed into the plaster of the wall. The room turned to her in surprise. Erik was stood directly in front of her, with Frost near Alex and Raven on the other side of the office beside the window, blue with her red hair slicked away from her face. Azazel and Riptide were nowhere in sight.

He lifted a hand to wave the gun from her grasp but it didn't budge. Erik was barely able to register surprise before Moira fired a round into his shoulder, the plastic bullet bringing him crashing to the ground.

Lowering her gun she surged forward as Raven launched at her. Alex and Sean moved quickly to intercept Frost.

"Raven, don't do this." Charles said uselessly, Raven kicking her leg up at Moira's face regardless. She effortlessly dodged it, moving fluidly around the enraged mutant who was almost growling in fury. Hank, who had bent to rip the helmet off Erik's head so Xavier could stop him if necessary, jumped up and wrapped his arms securely around Raven's waist, yanking her away.

"Erik." She cried, looking down at him as he bled across the floor.

Moira looked to see Frost back in her human form, Sean having held a pair of scissors to her fragile neck to force her to change back. Her agents were moving to stabilise Erik.

Abruptly their vision was stunned by an unexpected and sudden cloud of red smoke. Squinting against it, she saw Erik disappear. Frost was the next to go, despite the X-Men crowding in on the remaining Brotherhood members, Azazel moving quickly and effectively to get them all out of the building. Raven flipped back on Hank who hit the wall with a grunt, and finally she was gone too.

The haze seemed to lift as soon as they disappeared, Moira struggling to recall it being so blinding the last time she saw it. "Alex." She said calmly. "I knocked out Angel and locked her in the room by the front door."

"Don't bother, Alex." Charles said as Alex moved towards the door. "They took her too."

He went anyway. "I'm gonna check on everybody, make sure they're all alright."

"They are." Charles said softly as he left.

Moira's attention turned on her people as she felt the weight of the X-Men's gaze fall to her. This was everything she wanted to avoid. "Are you all alright?"

"Yes ma'am." Johnson answered, the team leader. "I presume you're our contact, _Agent 24_? Only a specialist could have timed that so well."

Nodding in affirmation, she turned at the sound of her name.

" _Moira_." Sean said, his tone correcting the team. He smiled broadly at her, though his eyebrows were quirked in confusion - evidently another X-Men who didn't know what their Professor had done. "I didn't know you were dropping in on us too."

Hank uncomfortably shuffled his feet, the only one not looking at her. Moira had already come to the conclusion that someone had to help Charles get her out of the mansion and back home. It now seemed she had quite easily identified the culprit. "I'll go downstairs too, make sure Alex doesn't need any help."

"Good." Charles nodded, wheeling his chair forward from around his desk. "I'll be sure to check on them as soon as I can."

Sean turned back to Moira, but Charles cut him off before he could speak. "Sean why don't you go with him. I'll finish up in here."

Turning to look at each other, they carried out a silent conversation before Sean reluctantly left the room.

"I'll talk to you later, Moira."

"Goodbye, Sean." She replied, knowing full well that she was leaving the mansion at the first opportunity.

The door shut behind him with a resounding thud.

XXXXX

Finally getting some X-Men action :D let me know what you think and have a great day! 


	10. Who'll Stop the Rain

Wow, the next chapter and you didn't even have to wait a month. I feel like I'm setting a dangerous precedence :D

XXXXX

The room was silent for a second before Johnson cleared his throat.

"Should we continue, or would you prefer that we return once you and your people have regrouped?"

Charles looked up at him, breaking his stare at the side of Moira's face. "I think I gathered everything you wanted to tell me. If it's all the same to you, however, I'd like to discuss things with the others. I can contact you tomorrow if that's convenient for you."

"Take as long as you need." Johnson said, his smile appearing genuine. He produced a card. "I wrote all the details down here for you, our hotel is just down the road."

Taking it from his hand, Charles glanced down at the information. "Yes, I'm familiar with it. And thank you for taking the time to talk with me. It's certainly been eye-opening." He said, shaking hands with Johnson, Paige and Buhle in turn.

Moira moved to open the door but of course she wasn't getting away that easy.

"Actually, Agent MacTaggert I was hoping to have a word."

The three agents looked to her.

She smiled at them in what she hoped was a reassuring way, unsure how convincing she was actually being.

"We'll wait in the car outside." Johnson promised.

"You don't have to," Charles suggested, "Alex could drive your Agent back. I believe he wants to speak to her again anyway."

Moira looked Johnson in the eye. "I'll meet you back at your room, _I won't be long_." She was clear to emphasise.

"We will see you shortly then." He nodded, leading his people outside where Alex was hovering to show them the way back to the door. Crossing the room, Moira looked around the curtains so she could see the team leave the building. Charles' rolled closer to her, stopping at the corner of his desk.

The longer the silence lasted the more toxic it seemed to get until Moira felt like she was suffocating. She was determined, however, not to be the first to speak.

"Your team seem to have done this before, quite a few times in fact." Charles said, his voice quiet.

"They're not my team. But then you already know that." Moira corrected, sighing as she turned away from the window.

Charles raised his hands slightly from the chair, almost in an act of surrender. "I haven't read your mind once since you entered the house." He said, continuing quickly as she looked prepared to retort, " _Admittedly_ , I did _communicate_ with your mind, but I read none of your thoughts. Only Alex's."

Moira wondered if there was any way to actually test that claim.

 _Asshole_. She thought as violently as she could, tracing his face for any reaction. There was none, but of course if he wanted her to think that he wasn't reading her mind he wouldn't allow for that mistake.

And _that_ thought marked the return of the usual Charles induced paranoia. Was he reading her mind or wasn't he? And how could she ever know the truth? She was starting to wish they'd never met.

He moved around his desk when he got no response, quietly motioning to the chair opposite him. "Won't you sit?"

Moira frowned at his attempts for civility. "And if I say no will you make me sit down anyway?"

Charles winced at the accusation. "You can leave anytime you want Moira. I won't stop you and Alex is waiting in the hall, ready to go whenever you are."

Regarding the chair, Moira unfolded her arms - not even able to recall when she'd first crossed them - before slowly taking the seat. Charles almost smiled but seemed to have enough sense not to.

"We certainly have a lot to talk about."

"I guess we do." She responded, leaning back. Moira attempted to channel her inner Peggy who would undoubtedly be doing this entire encounter five times more efficiently and coolly than she ever could. "Did my team brief you on why they were here or did Lehnsherr interrupt?"

Charles took a deep breath. "Erik arrived just as they were getting to the point."

"But you already knew why they were here. You didn't need them to tell you." Moira stated.

" _No_ , I didn't. I'm happy to stay in _contact_ with this organisation, however I wish to know more about them."

"What the agents thought wasn't enough for you?" She said sceptically. "You know what S.H.I.E.L.D is, you know what we do - what else do you want to know?"

"The people that your organisation works with - the _exceptionals_ was it - have you already made contact with other mutants?"

"It's not just mutants."

"Yes," Charles said thoughtfully, "I see the team have some rather interesting stories. One of them, _Rapture_ , seems to be particularly interesting. A low-level telepath from what I've seen..."

"Rapture is an _agent_." Moira said sharply, irritated, both, that Charles had only shown interest in the one agent in S.H.I.E.L.D (that Moira knew of) who had powers and that she herself hadn't realised that he was a telepath until just now. The realisation that he had read her mind when they first met made her cringe internally.

She wished there was a way to shut them out. Or that they would at least ask first - but of course it wasn't always within their control.

"I'm sorry."

Moira looked up at him.

"I know it makes you uncomfortable. But I need as much information about S.H.I.E.L.D as I can get - I need to know whether they're a threat to _us_ ," he gestured around him, "and if they are truly something we can trust to work with."

"I trust S.H.I.E.L.D." Moira said automatically.

Charles quirked a brow in disbelief. "Do you?"

"I have had a lot of doubt, and I still know there's a lot I don't know about S.H.I.E.L.D." Moira admitted, shrugging. "But I respect what they do. They respect me. And I'm proud to work for them."

They considered each other for a moment, not breaking eye contact.

"I trust you, Moira." Charles said softly.

Lip curling back, Moira pointed out the very obvious truth. "If you trusted me you wouldn't have wiped my memory."

"It was in the best interest of my students..."

She stood up and headed for the door.

"Moira wait."

Keeping a hand on the doorknob she kept her back to him but waited patiently.

"I did it to protect you."

"Protect _me_." Moira said dangerously, turning back on him. "What the hell did you think you had to protect _me_ from?"

Charles looked back, his calm demeanour diminishing under her withering gaze. "From people like S.H.I.E.L.D who want to use you to get to us."

" _Is that it_? Do you think the only reason S. .L.D approached me is for you? Is that what you _think_ of me? That I have nothing else to offer but information about the _extraordinary_ Charles Xavier and his school of mutants?" She retorted, voice thick with disdain.

"I don't know why they hired you. The only information I could gleam out of the agents were their mission parameters. All I really know is that they follow orders - I don't know the motive behind those orders. I don't know what has made S.H.I.E.L.D interested in us, and Johnson certainly didn't ask."

"Coming from the man whose _pupils_ act like your hired guns is pretty rich, Charles." Moira replied. "Hank and Alex are more like your guards than your students, do you answer all of their questions?"

"I'm helping them." He argued.

"And S.H.I.E.L.D helped me!" She half yelled. "They helped me when everyone else shunned me. You're so busy sitting there thinking about why you should trust S.H.I.E.L.D - why should S.H.I.E.L.D trust you?"

He took a breath and looked at his desk for a moment as he seemed to ponder. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You were _wrong_." Moira insisted. She turned to the door before abruptly turning back. "And how the hell did you even know I was here? Johnson and his team had no idea that I was the contact."

Charles froze, looking uncomfortable. Moira didn't need confirmation to know that he had been in her head before he'd voiced his presence earlier, and she also knew better than to expect him to come out with the truth about that _or_ what Erik was doing at the mansion. "You still want to pretend that you trust me?" Moira said quietly, pulling the door open.

"I'm leaving, I don't want to be here anymore. Contact Johnson if you have any problems or concerns. Goodbye, _Professor_."

She left without a backward glance and hurried to find Alex.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked as she strode into the entrance hall.

"No, I just want to get out of here." She said truthfully, more than grateful when Alex simply nodded and led her back to the car without any further questions. Spotting Sean leaning out the window, she waved before ducking into the car.

When Alex started the engine and they took off up the drive, Moira kept her eyes firmly on the road before them.

XXXXX

As always let me know your thoughts - too harsh on Charles, not harsh enough or just right? Have a great weekend, I'll try to upload the next chapter soon! 


	11. Centerfield

All Moira had on her was a gun, money and a number for extraction memorised in case things went south. There had been a report of a possible exceptional in Honduras. Moira was to investigate, assess whether they were a threat, then make contact to try and bring them into S.H.I.E.L.D.

The only issue would be tracking them down. S.H.I.E.L.D had provided blurry photos of the exceptional, however they didn't give her much to go on. Once the plane landed, Moira could only talk to locals and monitor the area in the hope that they were still around. No one was exactly sure what the exceptionals' abilities were either which was another factor to worry about. Another entry to an already substantial long list.

After leaving Xavier's home, Moira had been left with a lot to consider. Her mind was torn; on the one hand the thought of seeing Charles or Hank's faces again made her range between nauseous and furious, but on the other after talking to Alex and seeing Sean, a part of her realised how much she missed them all. She had considered them a team once, and at least two of them seemed to care about her to a degree.

Moira had given Alex a card with her number on it, the one for her home that she rarely visited but whose answering machine she checked whenever she could, after he drove her to the guesthouse. The drive had been quiet but he'd given her a quiet reassurance before she got out that he would be staying in touch and that he would be having words with the Professor.

"You don't have to do that Alex." She said sternly.

"It wasn't right." He argued, shaking his head. "Besides, the others deserve to know."

"I think Hank already does." Moira sighed, fairly certain that Hank was the one to get her back home.

"Sean doesn't." Alex frowned. "And I promise you, I didn't either."

"I know." She said, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for the ride, Alex."

"Anytime, Agent MacTaggert." He grinned back, pulling away from the house once she shut the door.

Watching him until he was out of sight, Moira had quickly snuck in around the back to change into civilian clothes before setting off on foot from the guesthouse to rendezvous with the team back at the hotel.

There was a quiet nervousness amongst them when she entered the room - apparently no one likes the idea of having their mind unconsciously probed, even if you do have advanced warning.

"Ma'am." Johnson acknowledged. He was bent over the small table in the corner of the room writing up his report. "I just rang our opps coordinator, your S.O. wanted you to call when you returned."

Moira nodded curtly, crossing over to the small phone and picking up the receiver. She had the number, along with an assortment of other emergency contacts (which for some reason included a direct line to Howard Stark's pool house), committed to memory.

"Agent Carter." Peggy answered.

"Agent MacTaggert." Moira replied, voice crisp and back turned on the welcome committee.

"Status report."

"I entered the mansion after being contacted by Alex Summers. One round fired at Erik Lehnsherr, shoulder wound. No X-Men were injured."

"You used the plastic weapon?"

"Yes, it proved very effective." Moira replied.

"Howard will be pleased to hear of it. I presume Erik survived the shot?"

"Yes. Azazel teleported him and his men out of the mansion."

"How did Summers know where to locate you?"

"Xavier sent him to me when Lehnsherr showed up, although it's unclear how he knew I was there. I also get the sense that this is not the first time that Lehnsherr has arrived at the mansion unannounced."

"I see. He may be consolidating power at a faster rate than expected," she mused. "I understand that the team successfully informed Xavier about our organisation. How do you think they responded?"

"I think they're reluctant. With _time_ , however, I think his curiosity will get the better of him. It's only so long until they'll reach out - probably when Lehnsherr next makes himself known. He knows we've been collecting intel on him, and he should see the logic in consolidating that."

"Noted. Is there anything else that you'd like to discuss?"

"Nothing of significance, ma'am."

Peggy sighed at Moira's failure to grasp the real meaning behind her question. "An S.O. does not merely provide physical training but is also expected to help develop their trainees mindset to cope with the pressures of being a field agent. A relationship that _will_ continue even though you have moved into independent work."

Moira hesitated, conscious of the bodies behind her. Thankfully her S.O. seemed to possess some sort of omniscience. "Do you still feel that you're betraying them?"

"Yes." She replied, trying to keep her voice even.

"Even though Xavier betrayed your trust, you don't feel it's enough to justify your decision to provide us with intel."

"It is a dilemma." She responded carefully.

"Moira. You can walk away from this anytime you want. This assignment or S.H.I.E.L.D. If you don't want to work with the mutants anymore, Fury will reassign you. _Yes_ , it's useful having you on the case but that's not the only reason we hired you. S.H.I.E.L.D needs good people like you. People who aren't afraid to do what's right no matter what adversity they face. Most people who see a room of powered people for the first time would panic and run. _You_ stayed, investigated and were able to realise the lines between the good and the bad instead of categorising them all as _freaks_. The only question you have to answer is - do you want to never work with them again?

"Think about it Moira. Let me know what you think. Either way I'm your S.O. It's a lifetime job no matter if you quit or finish your training."

Moira lightly cleared her throat, bashful to almost tear up with relative strangers nearby. In her defence it had been a somewhat stressful day. "Am I cleared to return to base?"

"Actually," Peggy said, the sound of shuffling papers audible over the line, "if that _is_ your decision, there is a case that's just come up as a high priority. Go pack and I'll wire the information to you."

"Thank you, Agent Carter." She replied, hanging up the phone.

"I've been reassigned." Moira said, turning back to Johnson. "Is there any further intelligence that you require before I leave?"

He quickly shared a glance with Agents Paige and Buhle, before looking back. "Do you have any idea about the range of Professor Xavier's telepathic abilities?"

Moira took a shallow breath. "On his own he shouldn't be able to hear you from here. If he uses Cerebro, however, he can look in on you whenever he wants."

Her brow furrowed at her own words. "But I don't know much more than that, in the Mutants Division more focus was put on training the new recruits."

"All the information you've given us has been invaluable." Buhle assured.

"Good luck on your next mission." Johnson nodded, settling back in his chair.

Offering a small smile, Moira quickly left for the guesthouse. Once there she packed quicker than she had ever done so in her life, ran downstairs to check out and to pick up her telegram. There was a flight number, an airport code and a operation spec code. She would be tracking an exceptional, considered potentially dangerous.

After her story about needing to fly home immediately for a sick relative, the manager kindly called her a cab and she was back where she started the day before she could blink. With every mile put between her and Winchester, Moira felt herself grow a little lighter.

Her conversation with Johnson had led her to the very plausible possibility that Charles had seen her through Cerebro. It would certainly explain why he knew of her presence and could also mean he had seen her working with S.H.I.E.L.D long before they arrived at the mansion. Long before she got her memories back. The freshness of the encounter made it a difficult thought to process, tearing her between fury and frustration. Fury at the blatant lack of respect for her privacy, frustration because he must have seen what she faced at work because of his actions and yet he'd done nothing to rectify his decision. He'd seen her struggle for her memories and had made no attempt to return them.

Interrupted by the ding of the seatbelt light coming on, Moira noticed they were now in decent. A thrill disrupted her sour mood as the plane touched down on the ground. This was it - her first solo mission.

Her first step was to go to the plaza, where the exceptional was last seen. The black suit she had chosen to wear attracted the attention of the locals, however no one questioned her as she began to assess the scorch marks left on the sides of the building. Peggy had told her months ago in a training session how effective a good suit could be in ensuring people answer your questions but refrain from asking them in return.

Evidently the scene had attracted visitors from around the town. There was an increase in trash around the site and even now, at the hottest part of the day, people were still crowding in the shade to point at the marks with interest.

Remaining alert to the crowds around her, she moved forward to look at the burns. They were contained between two buildings on the edge of the square. The plaster work was badly damaged, the stone itself carved into by the force of the flames. A nearby garbage can had been reduced to a melted pile of metal on the sidewalk. The flames had shot high, easily reaching the second floor. The sides of the buildings didn't have windows but Moira imagined if there had been any they would have been blown out with the intensity of the heat.

From the few details she had been able to pick out from the blurred photos, taken by a travel photographer who had attempted to hand them in to the police only for them to be redirected to a S.H.I.E.L.D liaison, Moira appeared to be standing in the exact spot the exceptional had been standing in. Clearly they could generate fire or perhaps an electrical surge, she thought. Local news agencies had claimed a bolt of lightning had hit this spot and started a fire. What they didn't explain was how lightning could have struck on a bright sunny afternoon.

She moved closer the front of the building. The scorch marks stopped just before the first window, leaving the glass intact and with the sunlight directly shining on it it provided her with a clear reflection of the square behind her. A small flash of light brought her attention to a man. Not wanting to raise his guard, she kept her back to him and regarded him discreetly through the reflection wondering whether he could be the exceptional she was looking for. A man, late teens, Caucasian, blonde hair, sunglasses. Perhaps another tourist.

Turning to scan the buildings Moira allowed her eyes to wash over him for a second. He was watching her but his light hair distinguished him from the dark figure she had seen in the photographs. Possibly from another law enforcement agency, she considered.

S.H.I.E.L.D hadn't cleared her investigation with the Honduran government, so she wanted to avoid engaging someone from another office. She needed to stay low and find the exceptional without drawing unwanted attention.

Moving away from the buildings she resolved to speak to some of the buildings residents to see if they could identify the man who started the blaze.

Chancing one last look across the square she saw the teen was gone.

The buildings were both apartments. She decided to go knock and ask if anyone had seen any suspicious activity, using her S.H.I.E.L.D badge to get them to open the door. Even if no one had heard of the agency, they would recognise it as some form of law enforcement and hopefully wouldn't ask too many questions.

Although her Spanish wasn't as good as her Russian, she was able to hold a simple conversation. After talking with a harried looking woman downstairs in the first building, Moira was able to ascertain that the exceptional was a young man, no older than twenty five. The couple upstairs happily spoke to her, eager to get compensation for their TV which had apparently broke as a result of the flames on the other side of the perfectly intact wall, but they were unable to provide any useful information about any individuals lingering nearby when it broke out.

"Do you think we'll get our claim?" The young man asked impatiently.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at their obviously bogus story, Moira assured him the company would acquiesce before excusing herself.

The building on the other side was closed for refurbishment.

Tapping her foot against the ground outside the building, she quickly stopped when she noticed she was still drawing attention.

If the exceptional was a local it was quite possible he had caused an incident before, so she decided to go to the local newspaper and see if she could find any stories similar to today's. Getting directions, she found it was only a short distance meaning she could travel on foot. Moira spotted the blonde teen again before she entered the building - alarm bells now ringing.

Cautiously she moved to the front desk and asked if the editor or a reporter was available to talk about the recent fire in the square. They sent out a portly middle aged man who spoke broken English and had a stomach he struggled to squeeze through the gate out from the bullpen.

"You have information?" He asked uninterestedly.

"No. I'm wondering if I could have a look at some of your archives - I wanted to see if there were any similar events to the one in the plaza today."

"You police?"

" _No_. I'm an American journalist, I was reporting on another story when we heard about the lightening strike and thought it could be of some interest. Lightening on a clear day isn't exactly common." She smiled, hoping that he was buying the story she was selling.

"It was no lightening."

"Then what started the fire?" She asked, injecting a reasonable amount of surprise into her voice.

"Don't know. Some people think a boy started it." _Bingo_.

"Then why did your paper say it was lightening?"

He shrugged lazily. "No one can find boy responsible, can't publish without proof."

"Do you know what he looks like?"

"Everyone we talk to says something different. But I heard a few say they say him run towards the beaches.

She nodded, considering her next plan of action. Heading to the beach seemed to be the obvious step, but there was still the matter of sunglasses waiting outside. Without knowing who he worked for, she could potentially be putting the exceptional in danger if he followed her to him.

The phone rang at the desk and the man hurried to answer it. Moira unbuttoned her jacket as she prepared to step back outside into the intense heat when he called out after her.

"Hey, lady. There's report of another fire not far from here."

"Where?"

"Not far, only ten minutes away. You come with us?" He was already motioning to another reporter nearby who quickly snatched up a camera before coming to stand beside them.

"Yes, of course, thank you."

He nodded impatiently before heading out the back of the building, Moira following hastily behind him hardly believing her luck.


	12. Run Through the Jungle

They drove fast to the site, Moira sliding across the backseat to crash into the adjacent door as they pelted around one particularly sharp corner. She was the first out, jumping out before the vehicle had come to a complete stop. A fire crew was battling to contain the flames, the fire rising higher than it had before.

Glancing around, Moira quickly spotted a high wall that she scrambled to stand atop of to gain a vantage point over the crowd. The flames were licking at the adjoining house but so far it wasn't spreading. Another crew was clearing undergrowth from around the buildings, which backed onto a dense area of trees.

The trees.

A young man stood at the very edge, clutching a tree as though for dear life. He was far removed from the crowds but no less entranced by the fire. The boy was panting heavily, holding onto the bark, looking prepared to faint. Even across the fair distance between them, Moira could make out that his clothes were stained with sweat, the grubby cloth barely distinguishable from the smoke rising from his back.

Before she even finished processing that last observation, Moira had leapt off the wall back into the thick crowd who were watching the fire with a morbid fascination. Jostling her way through, she was careful to walk only at a brisk pace - worried that if she ran she would draw attention to herself and the boy.

Nevertheless, as she broke the crowd the boy saw her and edged back into the trees. She ran after him.

As the trees closed behind her she risked yelling after him, sure no one else could hear.

"Please stop. I just want to help you!" She yelled, first in Spanish then in English.

Branches snapped around her as she blundered through the foliage, almost falling as she unexpectedly emerged in a clearing. He was waiting for her, staring down in aggravation at his burning hands while he panted for breathe.

He looked up sharply as she came near.

"Don't come any closer!" He warned, his English immaculate - American.

"Okay." Moira said softly, raising her hands slightly. "It's okay, I just want to talk."

"Why have you people been following me?" He asked, voice shaking.

She frowned, thinking back to the blonde she had seen earlier. "There is no one else - no one else that I work with. I only got here this morning."

His face clearly conveyed that he didn't believe her. "Who _are_ you? Who sent you?" He gritted out, his dark face slick with sweat that continued to pour. He looked exhausted, practically vibrating.

Keeping her palms facing him, Moira thought back to Peggy's instructions. "My name is Moira MacTaggert." She said calmly. "I work for an organisation called S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I've never heard of it!" He yelled, taking another shaky step back.

"A lot of people haven't. We're an international organisation. If you just let me reach into my pocket I can show you identification..."

"No!" He shouted.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She assured.

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "You want to study me!"

"That's not true..." Moira paused. "Will you tell me your name?"

"Why?" He asked, his voice cracking. He looked to be on the verge of tears. "So you can tell the world about me? Warn them to keep away from the fire starting freak?"

"I'm not going to do that." She soothed. "It's just you and me." Glancing around the clearing, she saw a relatively flat rock beside her and slowly moved over to sit on it. "I'm just going to get my badge out now."

The boy's whole body shook as she reached into her pocket, opened her badge and threw it on the floor between them. He peered forward to look at it.

"S.H.I.E.L.D is a secret organisation. We work with people who have powers - _people_ like you. We were formed after the death of a man known as Captain America. He had powers - he got them in an experiment during the Second World War." Moira explained calmly, as if they were having this conversation over a quiet cup of coffee instead of in a forest clearing while she ran risk of being burned alive. "I'll answer any questions you have until you understand that I'm not here to hurt you and that I just want to help. Please, just tell me your name."

Taking a shaky breath, he lowered his hands slightly. "Dante. Dante Pertuz."

"It's nice to meet you, Dante." Moira said, chancing a small smile.

The flames in his hands dimmed slightly.

"This Captain America - what happened to him?"

"He died, gave up his life, to save a lot of people. He was a hero."

Dante nodded. "And what do S.H.I.E.L.D want with me?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D keeps track of powered individuals and helps them stay safe - there are people out there who try to exploit people with your kind of powers. Try to duplicate your abilities, try to get you to do bad things. S.H.I.E.L.D works to protect you and put you in touch with similar people. We can train people whose powers are unstable to help them develop and control them. Sometimes we ask certain gifted people to join our organisation to help us in that mission, but they are free to decline. We'll still help them - we'll help _you_. You can contact us anytime, if you need help, if you feel like you're in danger."

Moira paused letting him think through what she said. "Can I ask you another question?"

Dante looked up. He had been staring at his hands again which were barely smouldering now. "What?"

"How did you get your powers? Have you had them long?"

He shook his head. "Only about a month. I couldn't...I came here."

"You have family here?"

"No. I just, I had to get away. It wasn't safe, my _powers_ , they're...they're not safe."

"How did you get here?"

"On foot."

Moira looked curiously at him. "That sounds dangerous."

"I'm stronger now. Faster. I don't get tired much either."

"And you can make your hands produce fire." Moira said.

"Not just my hands, everywhere." Dante said quietly, the exhaustion becoming increasingly prominent on his features. It made him look so much younger. "I don't know what triggers it, it just happens. And it's not just fire. Do you want to see?" He asked, shrugging the bag from his shoulders and kicking off his shoes.

Moira almost fell off her perch when he erupted into an enormous figure of fire and rock, towering at least a whole foot above his normal height. His eyes smouldered bright orange, flames licking away from his skin, trying to ignite the very air around him. His black hair had disappeared in the redness of his skin, rock that burned crimson in the high temperature. When his arm moved a trail of fire moved with him - Dante was a walking inferno.

"Wow." She breathed, surveying the exceptional before her. It wasn't the first time she had seen someone with powers, but the incredulity still hadn't worn off. Standing, she moved closer but had to stop a few steps away as she encountered a wall of heat.

Abruptly he shrunk back into his human form, clothes burned to charcoal, shaking violently before promptly collapsing into her waiting arms.

Dragging him over to lay on some ferns to the edge of the clearing, Moira shrugged off her jacket and folded it up to place under his head. She would have to find somewhere for them to stay while he recuperated and until he mastered his ability to control the shift between both forms. Somewhere away from civilians and cameras.

Waiting until he regained consciousness, Moira tried to make him promise to stay in the clearing while she made a call.

"I'm going to find somewhere around here for us to stay. When was the last time you slept?"

"A few days ago." He responded, his eyelids dropping heavily.

"And when was the last time you slept in a bed?"

The corner of his mouth tilted upwards. "About a month ago."

" I'm going to call a friend, there was a phone booth not far from here - I passed it on the way here. Will you be okay by yourself?"

Dante pushed himself up on one arm. "I'd rather go with you."

"Can you?" Moira asked, placing a hand under his shoulder blade to try and take some of his weight, watching as his arm wobbled.

"Yeah."

"And can you stay cool?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "I don't think I have the energy to be doing that again anytime soon."

"You'll feel better once you get some rest and eat something." Moira promised, helping him sit up. "We'll go once you're ready."

"Okay." Dante sighed. "I just need a moment."

Half expecting him to pass out again, Moira was pleasantly surprised when he was able to push himself upright less than half a minute later. He moved over to his bag and put on some clothes. At least he'd had the sense to take off his shoes before he transformed, saving them from the destruction.

They left a scorch mark on the rough ground but there was little Moira could do about that.

Leading the way back through the trees, they emerged under a dimming sky. It didn't take long until they reached the phone she had spotted in the commute. It looked a little banged up, it had been crashed into at least twice if the different paint marks were any indication, but the call connected just fine. Undoubtedly her contact would be able to foot the collect call, which was good because Moira didn't have nearly enough change to afford international on her own.

"Stark."

" _Howard_ , it's Agent MacTaggert." She said a little breathlessly, wiping her brow with the back of hand. "I need a favour."

"Moira!" Howard replied happily. "How are you - how's Peg?"

Moira glanced behind her to make sure Dante was keeping close. He was leaning tiredly against the booth. "She's not here right now, I'm out on assignment."

"Oh yeah. You're not in trouble are you?"

"No, no. But I need to get an exceptional off the street and somewhere quiet."

"Where are you?"

"Honduras - in Tegucigalpa. We need to find somewhere to stay but we need to keep away from civilians, and we can't get on a plane just yet." She couldn't put Dante on a plane until she was sure he wouldn't go up in flames - it would be a powder keg.

"Your exceptional's not got his powers under control yet, huh." Howard said interestedly. "I don't have anywhere in Honduras, but if you get to the coast I can get a boat to pick you up. Would that work?"

Boat surrounded by water? Better than a pressurised container flying 35,000 feet. "That works. Thanks for this Howard."

"No problem, I have a boat moored in Jamaica. Maria likes a tropical climate so I bought her a villa."

Of course he did. "There's a port to the north of us, Puerto de Caballos..."

"I'll have my guy meet you there. You got a car?"

"Not right now but I've got enough cash on me to pick up something cheap." Moira said.

"Maybe I'll fly out to meet you," Howard mused. "I haven't worked with an exceptional in a while, could be fun."

"Thanks, Howard." She replied, hopeful that he would follow through with his plan. Hopefully he could make Dante some clothes a little more flame resistant.

With a parting instruction to Dante to stay near the booth, Moira slipped off to find them transport. It was going to be a long night.

 **XXXXX**

Sorry about the delay - I was on holiday.  
Dante Pertuz is another Marvel character, also known under the codename Inferno. For people who read my original version of this story I know this has taken a slight divergence, I'm a little torn about whether to abandon certain storylines or if I should keep them in.  
As always I hope you all enjoyed the chapter - please let me know in the comments! 


	13. Green River

And there went another piece of furniture. This time it was a couch Dante had been sitting on. He had been watching the television when Howard decided to spring out of nowhere - ostensibly in the name of science - startling him into his other form. Thankfully Moira, who after nine days was starting to get rather used to such proceedings, had started to keep an extinguisher within reaching distance at all times and after calmly setting her book down extinguished the fire.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry." Dante said, wiping foam out of his eyes. "I'll replace the couch - I'll replace everything."

Howard, who was also clearing foam from his face, offered his usual smirk. "Don't worry, I'll just write it off as a business expenditure. That's what we did with the boat."

 _The boat_ , as Howard so offhandedly referred to his luxury yacht, had deposited them at the end of Howard's jetty which led directly to his seafront villa where Howard had only arrived a short while before the yacht docked. Fortunately, Dante had slept heavily throughout the drive and, after briefing waking to gawk at and board the yacht, passed right back out for the last leg. _Unfortunately_ , Howard found his other form absolutely fascinating and seemed to go out of his way to force Dante to shift into it at every possibility.

Still, they were making progress. The morning after their arrival, Dante was fully rested, well fed and willing to talk with both of them and share how he had ended up in Honduras with a trail of scorched out buildings behind him.

"I was at a diner with my Mom." He explained, rubbing his eyes as he lent back into his chair. The three of them were sitting on the balcony where they'd eaten breakfast, looking out toward the ocean. "Everything was normal, then there was this big white cloud, like smoke or something. It filled the whole diner, the smoke alarm went off, but almost as soon as it had spread it just disappeared. Then things just got even worse. I looked at my hands and they were turning into stone, I couldn't get it off." Dante said, his hands clenching closed at the memory. "I tried calling for help but it was happening to _everyone_. It started growing everywhere, people were screaming until it covered people's faces. When it did everything just went dark, really dark and then I think I passed out. The next thing I knew the stone was just flying off me and I looked like - well, _you've_ seen." Dante pointed to Moira. "I was huge, and then I realised I was on fire. I ran outside and tried rolling on the ground and then I realised it didn't actually hurt. I just felt _really_ _hot_. Almost as soon as it started I turned back to normal, but I felt really weak. I went back inside but it was chaos, I couldn't see my Mom and I started to feel hot again so I ran back outside in case it happened again. Then all the cops started turning up and I just ran home."

"You didn't see anyone else back in the diner?"

Dante shook his head. "There was bits of stone everywhere and lots of dust. I think I heard someone groaning somewhere but I'm not sure. I didn't even know what had happened until I got home. I passed out almost as soon as I got through the door. When I woke up the next morning they said on the news that there had been some kind of gas leak that had killed people - including my Mom." Dante said, his voice thick. "I turned again not long after that and nearly burned the house down. I was worried what people would do if they saw me like that, and when I saw the cops coming near the house I just ran. And I kept running. I think they were probably just coming by to tell me about my Mom - but I was just so scared." He confessed. "When I started running I realised it wasn't just the fire - I could run faster, I was stronger too - I broke through stone at one point when I needed to get past a border wall. And I had more energy, but I think using my _powers_ makes me weaker."

Howard was quickly working to write up everything Dante had said and, after Moira promised to look into the event at the diner, he started on a list of questions which he still hadn't finished asking nine days later. After taking a blood sample, Howard found that Dante's DNA had drastically changed from that of an average human being. He also theorised, after running more tests, that Dante may be capable of limited regeneration.

"I'm not sure if you could survive an A-Bomb or anything like that, but I'm pretty confident that if I chopped your hand off it would grow back." Stark said, not noticing how Dante instantly drew his hands behind his back.

"I think I'm alright being in the dark on that ability." He answered, making Moira laugh.

Dante had soon fallen into an easy friendship with Howard. It transpired that when he wasn't having his DNA altered and running between continents, he was a pretty laid back young man. The two had gotten so close that Howard had christened him into the organisation with a superhero name, Inferno. Dante had then excitedly asked Moira if that could be his official code name once he became a proper S.H.I.E.L.D agent, which he had already decided was happening after Howard started regaling them both with stories of Captain America and other powered S.H.I.E.L.D operatives like Rapture, who was apparently a low level telepath.

In response Howard had suggested a new exercise regime under the pretence that Dante could get into shape for training. In reality Howard did it in order to test Dante's limitations and to look for new stimuli to trigger his transformation into Inferno.

"Wait until I get Jason to look at this data." He said eagerly after the first workout, led by Moira. "He'll lose his mind over this. And look." Howard pointed to a sharp increase in the chart he was holding. "His adrenalin spiked but he stayed in human form."

"So?"

" _So_ , Miss MacTaggert," Howard said affectionately. "It means his transformation isn't physical it's emotional. And if it's emotional, it means he can learn to control it." He grinned, showing Dante the chart to share the good news.

Which led to Howard's new experiment - attempting to trigger different emotional responses. And fear and anger seemed to be in for the win.

After his latest scare, Dante went back to his room to clean up while Howard hastened downstairs to the old wine cellar which he had converted into a lab, leaving Moira to clean up the latest mess.

Collecting the remains of the couch in her arms, Moira headed out front to the trashcans which were starting to overflow with the remnants of ruined furniture. Trying to balance everything atop of each other, she was startled by a crack of blue out the corner of her eye, yet, when she turned, there was nothing there.

Frowning to herself, she went back in the house. Locking the door behind her, Moira headed into her suite where Howard had set her up with a phone to call her S.O. with updates.

Having already spoken to Peggy earlier in the day, Moira instead chose to check her home answering machine - S.H.I.E.L.D had set a system up for her for when she was away on missions which, in the fortnight she had been away, hadn't been used to store a single message. It was a poor reflection on her social life, but then being an Agent means one has already made the decision that they'll never be home in time for dinner.

" _Hold. One message pending_."

"Agent - _Moira_ ," Alex corrected, sounding uncharacteristically anxious. "Look, I don't know if you're anywhere near here, but the Professor, he's...well, things are getting a little _weird_ around here. I really think he would listen to, well I mean he could use your help. _I_ could use you help. Whether that's you or S.H.I.E.L.D, I don't care. Could you just please come back?" He asked, giving her a number to call back before muttering something indistinct and hanging up.

Moira replayed the message. Writing down the number she started to phone back when she heard a guttural yell down the hall. Seizing another extinguisher from the stash she kept at the foot of the bed, Moira sprinted towards Dante's room.

Blue light flashed through the gap under the door.

Easing herself into the room, she saw Inferno (thankfully stood away from any soft furnishings) standing opposite the blonde stranger she had first seen in Honduras. He had on a large black pair of sunglasses which dominated his face, and looked to be a close age to Dante.

"You." Moira said simply, contemplating whether or not to draw the weapon which had found a permanent home on her hip.

" _Me_." He replied dryly, returning his focus to Dante. He spoke calmly, his hangs hanging loosely at his sides. "Dante. We haven't officially been introduced, my name's Gordon."

Dante glanced at Moira. "He's like me - he can teleport or something like that."

"Who are you?" Moira asked, edging closer to Dante.

"I'm the kind of person you think needs _protecting_." Gordon sneered, disappearing in a sudden circle of shockingly blue light, before reappearing in the same fashion next to the door leading to the balcony. He looked at her with disdain, much like Erik used to, waiting for the inevitable fear or hostility from the human.

Sweat started to bead at her brow as Dante's flames grew, but she stood her ground.

"Dante," Gordon said, breaking his withering stare to focus on him. "We should have met a month ago after you went through the transformation. You must have already left the diner when we started getting people out, and we lost you in the confusion once the humans turned up."

"You know what happened that day?" Dante rumbled, his voice considerably deeper than in his human form.

" _Yes_ ," Gordon said reluctantly, his glance at Moira clearly indicating that he didn't want her to be privy to the following information. "An Inhuman decided to release a Terrigen Cristal in the diner - the crystal, when dropped, releases a mist which quickly filled the room. This triggers something called Terrigenesis, which activated a dormant gene in your DNA."

"Inhuman?" Dante asked.

"That's what we call ourselves. A member of our community acted individually, stealing a crystal from us, to turn people. She created three other incidents, which produced more Inhumans than we are used to dealing with. I'm sure your friend here is aware of them." He nodded towards Moira.

Moira tried to keep her face blank. Undoubtedly this was one of many incidents that were classified above her level.

"Why didn't my mom change?" Dante asked, the fires growing in intensity, forcing Moira to take a step back.

"Everyone went through the metamorphosis, however only people who possess the gene survive the process. _Usually_ our community is very selective of who goes through the process, and we guide them the best we can. After the incidents we collected as many of you as we could - to help you understand the process, to guide you through the change. Unfortunately it took us longer to find _you_." Gordon took half a step forward. "Come with me Dante, I'll take you to our community. You can finally get the answers you've been waiting for. You can be with people like you."

Gordon stretched out his hand.

Dante cooled down, shrinking back to his usual size and moving closer to Moira. "What about Moira?"

"Oh she's coming to." Gordon sighed.

" _What_?" Moira asked, but Gordon had already grabbed Dante and disappeared, the brilliant blue blinding her as it erupted beside her.

She heard footsteps, Howard was coming down the hall.

"Howard!" She cried out, moving her hand to her draw her gun. Gordon stopped her as he flashed back, wrapping his arms around her torso.

Starks' footsteps started thundering toward the room but, too late to do anything, the pair disappeared.

 **XXXXX**

It started light hearted, got more serious. I was unsure about whether or not to keep the Inhumans in my story but I didn't want to lose Dante as a character, so fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will know where we're going next! I hope people are still reading and enjoying this story - let me know how you're finding it and if all the MCU references are easy enough to follow. 


	14. It Came Out of the Sky

The room was large, ornate and dim as Moira stumbled into it. Gordon had already zapped away before she could even process his arms releasing her, the crack of blue briefly illuminating her surroundings. Hurrying over to where she had seen closed shutters, Moira fumbled until she was able to open them - desperate for a sense of orientation.

She only spotted buildings, the air outside the room stiflingly hot, the sky a clear watered down blue. Putting her foot on the open frame, Moira prepared to climb out when she was stopped by a loud groan next door.

"Dante?" She called out, carefully easing open the door to find a smoke filled room with Dante panting at the centre of it. One of his shutters were already open, the wood marked where his hands had burned slightly into the pane. "Dante, stay calm."

"Perhaps you shouldn't get too close. Not until Dante has had a moment to cool off."

Eyes quickly searching the hazy room, Moira came to focus on a woman standing stock still by another door. Her hands were folded over her stomach, looking perfectly calm despite the transforming young man in front of her.

"Hello." She said softly. "You must be Moira. My name is Jiaying."

Moira's hand moved slowly to her hip, her eyes intent on Jiaying's face.

Her gun was gone.

"I told Gordon not to disarm you but I find he often worries needlessly about my safety." She said simply, moving away from the door toward the open window and fully pushing open the other shutter.

Turning back, Jiaying motioned to another smaller woman who had been hovering by the door. They seemed to share some information quietly between themselves, Jiaying's eyes widening fractionally as if surprised, before she waved her off.

Jiaying moved to stand near Dante, hands still gently folded. She looked up at the man whose skin was turning to rock as if she were looking at nothing more unusual than a bird sitting in a tree.

"Dante." She said. "It's wonderful to finally meet you. I want to apologise for bringing you here under such unfortunate circumstances. I assure you our community does not usually snatch people," Jiaying said, looking between the pair, "but we take privacy very seriously within our community. Your organisation, Moira, was getting uncomfortably close to revealing something we strive to keep secret."

"You're in charge here?" Moira asked, staying rooted to her spot by the door, legs positioned in a defensive stance. She assessed Jiaying critically. The slender woman looked to be in good shape but if she were any ordinary human Moira would have liked her chances in a hand-to-hand fight. Of course, things were never that simple and she knew that Jiaying in all likelihood had some sort of power. She just needed to figure out what it was before getting herself and Dante drawn into an unwinnable fight.

Jiaying moved to stand between the two, addressing them both. The contrast between her and Gordon was stark. "One of the community elders, yes. Although I promise you what has happened in these last few months is far from normal. Where we are now - Afterlife - is a haven for inhumans. I am sure, as Dante will now know, that many humans are unaware that there are people among them who have gifts that stretch far beyond the ordinary. When confronted by this fact they can sometimes act with hostility or suspicion. That is why we go to such great lengths to keep our existence hidden, and to provide a safe space for those like us. Afterlife is not a permanent residence for most, we mainly provide shelter and training for people who have recently gone through the transformation. Or guidance for people who will go through it..."

Moira interrupted. "Gordon said not everyone survives the transformation."

"That is true. But we have ways of determining whether an individual has the potential to become Inhuman." Jiaying said, looking Moira over thoughtfully. "Some are brought here, if we feel they are ready to take on their abilities. We guide them through what will happen, and help them adjust to their new lives."

"Why did this happen to me?" Dante grunted, smoke still rising in thick plumes.

"The woman who triggered your transformation dropped something we call a Terrigen crystal. The crystal releases a smoke which activates a process called Terrigenesis." Jiaying explained patiently. "The process activates dormant alien cells in your body - cells which only a small percentage of the population possess. Each inhuman is affected differently, though each demonstrates speed, strength and durability above the normal levels of even the fittest human being."

"I'm not human?" Dante asked, his body starting to shake with exertion as the smoke thinned out.

"At your basic level you still retain human characteristics. But Terrigenesis enhances your DNA, changing it radically. That's why we call ourselves inhuman. Born human, made into something more advanced." Jiaying clarified with a wry smile. "Of course, within our community we do not promote ideas of superiority above humanity, though I admit not all inhumans feel that way." She kindly told Moira.

"So there are people within your community who are still human - waiting to go through Terrigenesis?" Moira asked.

"Yes, we have an inhuman who can detect whether a person possesses the dormant gene. Of course we would never risk someone to the mists if we did not know for sure that they would survive. Our community stores most of the world's Terrigen crystals, though we are aware there are more out there. The incident that led to Dante's transformation was the first time in our history a crystal has been taken from us, and we regret that we were not made aware of its theft until it was already too late."

Dante's transformation was halting and even Moira was loathe to admit she was starting to believe the sincerity in Jiaying's words.

"You have the person responsible?" She asked.

Jiaying nodded. "Gordon brought her back here, she was the first person he secured at the diner along with two survivors of the mists. For now Gordon is monitoring her closely - unfortunately once Terrigenesis has been initiated it cannot be undone, however we are searching for a way to ensure justice is carried out." She said, looking at Moira's arched brow and understanding her silent implication. "I am aware that your organisation deals with, and sometimes contains powered individuals. But you must understand my trepidation in allowing an inhuman into your hands. We have all risked a great deal in order to keep our existence a secret and to ensure the sanctity that Afterlife can offer our kind. If we were to turn her over we would be revealing our existence, and there is a possibility that you would use her as a way to find out more about our kind. As someone who has endured such examinations, I cannot force anyone else to submit to such a thing - no matter what they have done."

"You've been taken?" Moira said sharply. "Do you know by who?"

"An organisation named Hydra." Jiaying replied, picking up the flicker of recognition on Moira's face.

"Hydra haven't been in existence since the Second World War." Moira argued, "There's no way you're a day over thirty."

Jiaying smiled broadly. "That's certainly nice to hear, however I cannot pretend it is so. My ability enables me to heal myself, and also causes me to age far slower than your average human."

"Woah." Dante breathed. "So how old are you?"

Jiaying's smile grew to dazzling extremes. "I think you know it is a woman's prerogative to refuse to answer such a question. It has been rather a while though. I must admit there have been times when such a thing is considered more of a curse than a blessing, but as I said, one cannot undo the process of Terrigenesis."

"So you can't change what happened to me?" Dante asked quietly.

"No - but that is no bad thing." She replied gently. "With some practice there is no reason that you couldn't become an active member of society again, and lead a perfectly normal life. We can help you to understand your powers, to control them. But, given your first interaction with a member of our community, I could understand any trepidation you may have and if you wish to leave you can. Both of you can."

"S.H.I.E.L.D has already been helping me." Dante said, sounding more confident as he straightened back up, his energy slowly returning now he had fully returned to his human form.

"And if you choose you can return to them and accept their guidance in controlling your abilities. I am sure S.H.I.E.L.D has a great deal of experience working with powered individuals such as us, however when it comes to knowledge about inhumans you will find no one as knowledgeable as the medical staff at Afterlife.

"Now I understand you have a lot to think about, but might I suggest that you meet with one of our transition guides for a short while. He will be able to answer your questions and can run some checks on you to see how your body is handling the transition. And it will give Moira and I an opportunity to talk about S.H.I.E.L.D."

A man entered the room, who had probably been waiting for Jiaying's words.

Dante looked to Moira a little nervously but went along with the man, who introduced himself as Lui, while Jiaying led Moira outside.

The sun was low in the sky. All Moira could see were buildings and beyond that mountains that stretched for miles.

"It's a beautiful community you have here."

"Thank you, although I can hardly take credit for it." Jiaying said, as they wandered through their surroundings. "I've always found it a very peaceful place to live."

She led Moira into her own building, which housed her quarters and an office. Taking a seat behind her desk, she gestured to the armchairs before her.

"Please sit. I imagine you've been on your feet for some time."

"Why did you bring me here?" Moira asked as she lowered herself into a chair. "You must know S.H.I.E.L.D is already aware of Dante - we've already had one of our lead scientists meet with him."

"We are." Jiaying nodded. "After Gordon saw you investigating the fire, I asked him to keep an eye on you - to see what you would do and to try and find out more about the agency you work with. I was cautious, I knew you had to work with some kind of organisation but I had no idea which one or how you would react to Dante if you finally caught up with him. Gordon thought he would be able to find Dante first but," Jiaying smiled slyly, "you worked faster than we expected. Your agency must be proud to have such an agent."

"Have you heard of S.H.I.E.L.D before?" Moira asked, bringing up in her mind the monologue Peggy had her memorise when talking to new exceptionals. She faltered entirely when Jiaying replied that she had.

"I first learned of them when I came in contact with Hydra. Though I believe you went by a different name then."

"The SSR." Moira confirmed.

"Strategic Scientific Reserve." Jiaying nodded after a second. "I have the longevity but not the memory to go with it," she shrugged, "so you'll forgive me the occasional lapse.

"My captor seemed concerned about the SSR and I was released before they closed in on the facility."

"I can look into it if you..."

Jiaying held up a hand. "No, thank you. It's all behind me now, I'd like to leave it there. But I am curious, how long have you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Not long." Moira hedged, wanting to gain her trust while not giving too much about herself away.

"And have you encountered many other people like Dante, Gordon and I?"

Moira hesitated for half a second too long. "Yes. But you surely understand that I cannot talk about it - I have to value their privacy."

"Good answer." Jiaying said, leaning back in her chair and steeping her hands together. She looked at Moira carefully, weighing up her next words carefully. "I am curious. About your reactions to us. You must know that many people would love to recreate our abilities."

"Of course."

"And is that something you have ever desired for yourself?"

To be an exceptional?

On dark nights when it seemed like the only way Charles would ever truly consider her special. When it felt like to only way the other mutants would treat her as more than some convenient source of information and equipment. When Eric looked down his nose at her.

Would she still have her memories if she had been a mutant CIA agent rather than a human one?

"I don't let myself live in hypothetical situations." Moira shrugged.

"Maybe you should." Jiaying responded. "You say you have not been to this work long - I believe that. You say that Hydra no longer exists - perhaps that is true; nevertheless, even if it is gone, I know another will have replaced it. Evil never ceases it only transfigures. And if you truly are trying to protect us..."

"I am." Moira interjected, with such sincerity Jiaying could not help but believe her.

Her face softened. "If you are with us then you must recognise that the people and groups that hunt us down will do the same to you. You must prepare yourself, and find a way to keep yourself safe."

Moira smiled slyly. "I assure you, S.H.I.E.L.D offers very comprehensive training for field agents."

She shook her head. "That won't always be enough.

"I see the way Dante looks to you - you have both already formed quite the friendship. I think your role in getting him to help has made you something of an idol in his mind."

Moira suppressed a blush. She had recognised that too, and was embarrassed to say that Dante's attitude towards herself was very similar to her initial reaction to meeting and working with Peggy. One of near awe.

"Until he gets his powers under control it is very possible that you will be the one defending him - not the other way around, despite his strengths. Do you think you could protect him? That you could keep him safer than he would be here?"

Frowning slightly, Moira thought through her words before answering - careful not to let her emotions get the better of her, even as Jiaying unconsciously poked a sore point in Moira's armour.

"The choice where Dante goes is solely his. If he wants to stay with me and work with S.H.I.E.L.D I will - we will - protect him with everything we have. And if he chooses to stay here, I won't argue. And I will fight to keep Afterlife safe from anyone who threatens it."

Jiaying looked thoughtful for a moment speaking again. "Some people look at sanctuaries like ours and see nothing but an opportunity for themselves. And there are many more people who would treat us with fear or hostility."

" S.H.I.E.L.D isn't like that." Moira implored. "We work to keep people safe from that kind of treatment. We don't want to harm you."

"I know that is true of some individuals. I certainly believe that you feel that way. But organisations are large and diverse. Mistakes can be made. It is my responsibility, as one of the leaders of this community, to ensure our secrets remain protected and that our people can live in peace. If you were a part of such a community you would understand that. Keeping our existence secret is paramount to our survival. "

"I do understand that." Moira pressed, all the while remembering her final conversation with Charles. The parallels were starting to make the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. "And I think Dante proves that."

Jiaying nodded. "Dante's experiences have been - unfortunate. Ideally we would have brought him here straight away, but we were rushed due to the arrival of the police. It took us time to realise we had missed somebody. And now. Now S.H.I.E.L.D has run his blood, they know he is not human and that there is a genetic factor involved." She sighed deeply. "It appears our hand may be forced in revealing our existence. It does not mean however," she stood, "that it cannot be done on our terms."

"How do you mean?" Moira asked wearily.

"You are free to leave whenever you want." Jiaying said. "But I would ask that you stay for a while - see Afterlife for yourself, meet our people. It will give Dante a chance to be guided through the changes to his body, to recover from the great changes made to his DNA. And it will also give you the chance to consider a proposal I have for you."

Cautious, Moira leaned forward in her chair slightly. "What proposal?"

* * *

Gordon deposited them outside the front door of Howard's villa several days later, just as the sun was rising. He disappeared before a S.H.I.E.L.D agent could round one of the verandas that he was patrolling, shouting with excitement as he spotted the missing people below.

As the door flung open she was somewhat insulted when Howard lightly pushed her aside and gave Dante a one armed hug.

"Oh thank god, you're both back. We've had people combing the island for days - where were you? Who took you?"

Dante launched into an excited account of their time in Afterlife as Howard guided them back inside. Moira followed quietly behind, nodding politely at several agents who had come back into the house with the news of their safe return.

It wasn't until several hours later when Howard led her back to her room, gently kissed her cheek and retreated for the night that she was able to pull from her pocket the dead weight that had sat there all day constantly demanding her attention.

The blue crystal sat harmlessly in the piece of square cloth. Moira's whole body focused on it so intently she thrummed with an energy which implored her, demanded that she touch it. Jiaying's warning rang clear in her mind however and she kept it away from her skin. One small touch and the irreversible process would begin that would make her an inhuman.


	15. The Midnight Special

"Moira, where are you?"

Click.

"Next message."

"Please tell me you're not picking up because you're on your way here, things are crazy..."

Click.

"If you're doing this out of _spite_..."

Click.

" _Moira_." He implored.

Alex's last message had come in only an hour before she'd gotten the chance to check her answering machine.

Scanning the suite, she quickly grabbed all of her stuff and crammed it back into her case in complete disarray.

How could she have forgotten?

The weight of the stone in her pocket seemed to get heavier in answer.

Lightly jogging down the stairs she checked the rooms before determining Howard must be in the lab.

"I need to go to Winchester." Moira bluntly demanded as she strode into the room.

Howard blinked at her, the goggles he was wearing magnifying the motion.

"Huh?"

Thankfully, with Howard being the man he was, it didn't take much coercion to get herself booked onto a flight for that afternoon. All she had to do was explain the urgent nature of the message.

"I still don't think Dante is up to air travel yet." Howard observed as they formalised their plans. "Don't get me wrong, the kid has made amazing progress considering what he's been through. But I think for now I'd be happier transferring him back to the US by boat."

"Fine." Moira easily agreed, feeling jittery and anxious to leave. In the back of her mind she could hear the pleading in Alex's voice, so unnatural coming from the usually reserved teen.

"It'll take us a while to get there by sea though. It might also be a challenge convincing Inferno to leave," Howard grinned - Dante making it no secret how much he loved living in the lap of luxury, "but I think if Maria's last phone call was indication enough she's not going to be very happy if I extend my trip much more."

Moira softened her expression. "Oh, you didn't have to stay with us so long Howard. I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D could have sent someone else."

"Hey, it's no skin off my back!" He quickly exclaimed. "But, if you want a way to make it even, _you_ can be the one to tell Dante you're going off on an exciting mission without him."

Agreeing, Moira wasted no time heading back upstairs to break the news. She needed to get to the airport as soon as she could.

"I can fly!" Dante protested.

"Dante." She chastised. "It's not the flight. You don't have clearance to go on field missions. And to _get_ clearance," she laid on thickly, "you need to go back to HQ for training."

"But..."

"I don't make the rules, Dante."

He groaned overdramatically - he was spending far too much time around Stark. " _Fine_."

"Great. And I'll try to work something out so I can help you with your training. Deal?"

"Deal." He grinned.

The two men insisted on accompanying her to the airport - Howard was especially keen to expose Dante to more crowded places as part of his training, though he was still sensible enough to stop in the car park where there were a few less potential witnesses.

She gave them both a hug and accepted an overly loud kiss on the forehead from Stark, before taking off with her carry-on in hand. It was going to be strange being separated from the pair after so much time together and leaving the safe haven of Howard's villa; but it would be especially difficult being parted from Dante. They'd been through so much together since their first meeting and this would be the first time they'd been apart in several weeks.

As the only person who currently shared her secret about the crystal, until Charles got into her head that was, it was impossible to deny a tight bond had formed between them. Something Howard had constantly tried to, literally, get between - often squeezing between the two whenever they sat beside each other before demanding 'Inferno's' attention or revealing some new purchase that Dante would find interesting. Including on one occasion a new sports car.

"One can never have too many cars." He said sagely, as Moira and Dante ogled over the latest addition to his villa's collection.

Undoubtedly Dante was in safe, if somewhat irresponsible, hands. Howard would probably have adopted him by now if he wasn't a legal adult. And Moira knew that Jiaying wouldn't be sending Gordon back unless they were in clear danger.

Or if Moira made the choice she was waiting for her to make.

Moira had expected to spend the entire plane ride agonising over the options before her and fretting over the potential situation she was heading towards. She still hadn't processed, and certainly hadn't forgotten, her anger with Charles and Hank; but with everything that had happened there had barely been a moment to contemplate it and she didn't feel prepared yet for a return.

Leaning her head back in her seat she wondered whether Charles really had used Cerebro to watch her, and if he done so since. Before she could even fully process the thought however, she was asleep and slept heavily for the entirety of the flight - much to the displeasure of the passenger next to her who couldn't get past to use the toilet.

Ignoring his grumbles as they disembarked, Moira was glad of the rest as she wasn't sure when the next opportunity would arise. And, if she was being honest, she'd spent most of the last few nights staring at the ceiling of her suite rather than the back of her eyelids.

She'd flown into New York city, the closest she could to Winchester at the last minute, and had to rent a car for the remaining part of the journey.

Peggy had offered to send reinforcements, to accompany Moira herself even, but she had refused. Alex's messages had come over a series of days and he already seemed confident that they could handle Erik.

Still, a SHIELD team was never far away and she had another extraction and emergency number memorised just in case.

Before she hopped into the car she went to the nearest payphone and dialled the number Alex had given her.

"Hello."

"Alex?" Moira asked, not recognising the voice over the line.

"Who is this?"

"It's Moira."

"What are you - how did you get this number?" He said, quickly changing question.

"Alex gave it to me. Who is this - _Hank_?"

There was a clattering in the background and whoever it was went quiet for a minute before returning to the receiver. "This isn't a good time."

"B-"

They hung up.

Glaring at the phone in annoyance, Moira set it back down and headed into the parking lot with the keys to the rental in hand.

* * *

Moira pulled up outside the door, tires grounding into the gravel as she hit the brakes with more force than strictly necessary. She was still irritated by her earlier phone conversation and with herself for feeling worried that she hadn't heard anything from Charles on her approach.

Not allowing herself to linger in the car, she got out and rang the bell.

Barely a second past before she pounded on the door with her fist, her jaw clenched.

The door flew open, colliding with something behind it, to no worry of Charles who instead strode up to her and seized her in a hug.

"Moira! I had _no_ idea you were coming." He said brightly into her hair. "Isn't it marvellous?"

Her eyes were bugging out of her head as he released her.

"Hi Moira." Alex said with faux cheer, appearing behind him in the doorway. "How was the journey? I guess you came here via the south pole since it took you _two weeks_ to get here - is it nice this time of year?"

Moira pulled a face at him. "I was _away_. I got here as soon as I could." She glanced back at Charles who was grinning wildly. And standing.

"Wh-what's going on?" She asked nervously.

"Oh, where are our manners?" Charles said, glancing back at Alex in disappointment. "Come in, come in. Have you got any bags?"

She went inside silently, trying to carry out a conversation with Alex using nothing but her eyebrows.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Charles asked politely.

Moira agreed, asking for some water, just to get him out of the room.

"What the _hell_?" She asked lamely as Charles walked off.

"I know."

"I mean - " she gestured after him, "how is this possible?"

Alex nodded in understanding. "Look it..."

He stopped himself and looked around the empty hallway suddenly, as if worried about being overheard. "Come in here."

Grabbing her by the crook of her elbow, he led them into one of the smaller rooms off the hall and quietly shut the door behind them.

"Hank developed this serum which can apparently make the Professor walk again."

"Oh. Well, that's..."

Moira was about to say great but was interrupted.

"But it has side effects." Alex explained nervously, looking at the door again. "His powers - his powers don't work anymore."

She hated herself for suddenly relaxing at the news, for the first time she had ever been in the mansion, but she couldn't help it.

It explained why she hadn't heard him in her approach - but she couldn't imagine Charles being able to live with such a change. He'd had his powers his whole life, why would he want to give that up?

"But he's still taking it? Why hasn't Hank stopped giving it to him?"

"The Professor thinks being able to walk again is more important. But I'm worried, Moira - a lot of us are. He's not acting like himself. He even talked about closing the school down the other day to go travelling. Moira - so many of us depend on this place. He can't, some of us have nowhere else to go."

"Moira? Alex?" They heard Charles shout loudly. "You'll have to tell me where you've gone, I can't find you otherwise."

Glancing at each other, they returned back to the hall where Moira took the glass of water Charles offered.

If only he'd poured something stronger, she thought idly as she took a sip.

"Why don't we head to my office?" Charles suggested, not questioning their disappearance.

"Great plan." Alex said, as cheerfully as he could manage. "Hey, why don't I go get Sean? You know how put out he was last time when Moira left so soon."

"Alright." Charles agreed readily.

Alex shot her a pleading look at he left.

Charles' office had been relocated to its original room upstairs.

"So what brings you back to Winchester so soon?" He asked, ushering her into a chair by his desk.

He stayed standing.

"Well, Charles. Alex called me. He sounded worried and asked me to come by."

"Alex is worried?" Charles asked. "He hasn't mentioned that to me. Did he say what it was about?"

Moira looked at him for a moment, wondering if he could really be so clueless.

" _You_ , Charles. You."

"Why? I'm fine."

"Are you?" She said incredulously, looking up at the man she'd once thought she'd loved like he was a tentacled alien.

"Of course. Look at me!" He exclaimed excitedly, needlessly gesturing at his legs. "I can walk again, Moira. I can go running with Hank, I can climb the stairs, I can get back in my own office." He said, grabbing his desk chair for emphasis. "It's just like how things used to be."

"But, Charles." Moira continued, leaning forward in her seat. "Your _powers_? And Alex said you were talking about closing the school. That doesn't _sound_ like you; can you understand why we're worried?"

"Moira. Don't you _see_?" Charles said, walking over to her with more energy than she had ever seen him display. "This is everything that we need. I can walk again, I can be like myself. And you," he took her hand easily, "you never have to worry about me reading your mind again. We can be _happy_ this way.

"You can move in - and we won't close the school if you don't want to. It'll be like how it always should have been." He said, grinning crazily.

Moira's hand was loose in his. She had no idea how to react, and turned dumbly towards the door where Alex and Sean now stood awkwardly.

"Oh there you both are." Charles said, noticing their appearance as he followed Moira's gaze. "Look Sean. Look who it is."

Sean sighed with relief. "Hi, Moira. Thank _god_ you're here."

"Erm, Professor. You're meant to be teaching a class in five minutes."

Charles looked blankly at Alex for a second before seeming to process what he had said. For a moment it looked like he wouldn't go but he eventually released Moira's hand, albeit reluctantly, and grabbed him suit jacket to leave.

"I won't be gone long. You'll still be here, won't you?" He asked her.

"Yes, Charles."

He looked at her a moment longer; for a minute his eyes softened just like they used to when he looked at her before. Then the inhuman cheerfulness filled his eyes again and he bounded off.

"You'll make him stop right?" Sean asked, as Alex said, "I'm gonna kill Hank for making that serum."

"Yeah." Moira said faintly, suddenly wishing she'd taken up Peggy's offer to accompany her.

Leaning back in her chair her newly released hand brushed the fabric of her trousers, just over the lump where her crystal was still hidden in her pocket.

Again she resisted the urge to unwrap it.

* * *

Sorry about the delay, I was writing a novel. I'm now taking a break before editing starts so I'll be getting back on track with my fanfiction! I hope you enjoyed this latest episode, let me know what you think.


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